top ten strategies for achieving a healthy work-life mix

   10.      Eat healthy foods. Eat a balanced and healthy diet to help you stay energized throughout the day and reduce stress.

   9.        Utilize resources at work. When possible, delegate smaller tasks that take you away from other priorities.  Be sure to ask for assistance with difficult or stressful projects. Talk with your supervisor about changing your work hours to fit your needs at home.

   8.         Find time in your schedule to volunteer. Volunteering can provide an opportunity to spend time with your family and friends while also helping organizations that make a difference in your community. Several Johns Hopkins employees volunteer at their churches, in their communities, and at their children’s schools.

   7.         Make lists and prioritize tasks and activities. Keeping a list can help you prioritize tasks and activities and reduce your stress about forgetting something. Use lists at work and home, and make sure to check off completed items and reprioritize as necessary.

   6.         Set aside personal time every day. Make sure you carve out time every day for “me time.” You work hard and deserve time to yourself to recharge. Popular personal time activities for Johns Hopkins employees include reading, meditation, and listening to music.

   5.         Attend cultural activities. Cultural activities can engage your mind and spirit and teach you something new. Many employees choose to attend the numerous festivals, fairs, and performances offered around the Johns Hopkins campuses on weekends or in the evenings.

   4.         Carve out time for your family. Spend quality time with your family each day. For Johns Hopkins employees, this may mean scheduling a game or movie night or participating in outdoor activities on the weekend.

   3.         Make time for your friends. Some Johns Hopkins employees spend time with friends while exercising or during mealtime. Spending quality time with friends can help you reduce both work and family stressors.

   2.         Develop a regular exercise routine. Schedule exercise several times during the week or utilize small breaks at work. Johns Hopkins employees enjoy running, walking, and dancing at the gym or in their neighborhoods. Some employees keep a small dumbbell at their desk to get in a workout while reading emails or talking on the phone.

And the top suggestion for achieving a healthy work-life mix is:

   1.          Get enough sleep each night. This is critical in achieving a healthy mix between work and family. When well rested, you can have productive work weeks and happy weekends and evenings. Make bedtime non-negotiable!

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Work & Family Fair

New This Year—Featured Speaker on Learning across the Lifespan

Click on Susan Magsamen's picture to start her talk about learning across the lifespan.

Join us at 11:30 a.m. for our featured speaker, Susan Magsamen. Susan is an award-winning writer and advisor on learning, creativity, the arts, and family engagement. She is the director of interdisciplinary partnerships at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Brain Science Institute and the founder of Curiosityville—a new personalized digital learning world for children ages 3-8 and their families.

Susan will discuss key developments in 21^st century learning. “In recent decades, scientists have learned that structural changes at the cellular level play a key role in storing new information within the brain. They have also shown that factors known to impact learning, such as attention, motivation, sleep, and repetitive practice, can influence how effectively these structural changes take place.”  Developmental studies have shown that these structural changes occur more readily in children, confirming the importance of learning skills early.

Scientists have also identified specific mental skills that play a key role in effective learning and social maturation. These skills include attention, working memory, self-regulation, and mental flexibility and are collectively referred to as executive function. “This complement of cognitive skills has been linked not only to academic success but also to health habits and financial stability throughout life,” says Susan.

Fair Exhibitors

Some of the organizations that will be in attendance are:

Aging Adult Services

• BayGroup Insurance (Long-term insurance)
• ComForCare Home Care Services
• Senior Helpers, LLC
• Somerford Place, Alzheimer’s Assisted Living
• The Option Group, LLC
• The Organizer

Child and Youth Services

• Children of the Work Co-op
• Maryland Family Network
• Parents in a Pinch

Financial/Legal Services

• Abraham & Bauer, LLC ·
• Internal Revenue Service - Taxpayer Advocate Service
• The Johns Hopkins Federal Credit Union

Health & Wellness

• Center for Medicare & Medicaid
• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) – Metropolitan Baltimore

Housing

• Come Home Baltimore
• Johns Hopkins Live Near Your Work

Recreation

• Baltimore City Department of Transportation
• Earth Treks
• National Aquarium in Baltimore
• Maryland Office of Tourism
• Parks and People Foundation

Safety Services

• Baltimore City Fire Department
• Maryland Department of the Environment

For more information, contact worklife@jhu.edu or 443-997-7000.