A proper balance between a person’s time spent at work and their free time is important. Creating an equilibrium between these two aspects of life helps to prevent burnout, keep a person happy, and make them feel more fulfilled in their life.
Those working truck driving jobs in TN might think an advantageous work-life balance is very difficult to achieve. After all, how do you balance between free time and working hours when you are driving a truck over long distances?
Paying attention to a few factors can help to make these factors more closely weighted, even for those working truck driving jobs.
Here are 8 things you can do to work toward a proper work-life balance while working truck driving jobs:
- Try to Keep a Regular Schedule
- Take Breaks
- Get Plenty of Sleep
- Speak With Friends and Family Daily
- Take Time to Exercise
- Keep Yourself Entertained
- Eat Well
- Take Steps to Manage Stress
Try to Keep a Regular Schedule
Be conscious of the hours you are working. You are limited to the number of hours you are able to drive due to the DOT Hours of Service Regulations.
Try to maintain a regular schedule when practical. Also be flexible to changes in schedule due to unforeseen circumstances — traffic congestion, customer needs, etc. The goal is to be as consistent with your schedule as practically possible in the over the road trucking environment.
Take Breaks
Do yourself a favor and maximize non-driving time. While at fuel stops — or at shippers or receivers — stretch your legs. Walk around a little bit. Do something that takes your mind off of driving if only for a few minutes.
These small breaks can refresh a driver, keeping you alert while also giving you an opportunity to reset yourself. Failing to take breaks will only build stress throughout the day and make it harder to relax.
Get Plenty of Sleep
Taking care of your health will make you happier in every aspect of your life. And when it comes to a proper work-life balance, enjoying every aspect of it as much as possible makes it easier to find a proper equilibrium.
Getting proper sleep can be difficult while working trucking jobs in TN, but it is possible with a little extra effort and planning.
Please click here to read our guide on how to get more sleep while on the road.
Visit Beacon Transport to learn more about truck driving jobs in TN!
Speak With Friends and Family Daily
Speaking with loved ones is a great way to maintain a certain level of connection with your home life. Take the time to find someone to speak with as often as possible.
This idea can be taken even further. Use each stop as a chance to have recreational interactions with those around you — other truckers, servers at restaurants, clerks at gas stations.
Take advantage of every opportunity for socialization. You’ll feel better about the long hours behind the wheel.
Take Time to Exercise
Daily exercise keeps your mind sharp and your body operating with optimal efficiency. The days can get long when working truck driving jobs, but you’ll feel better while working with daily exercise.
Being on the road can make you feel disconnected from your daily life, which throws everything out of balance. Exercise can bring a sense of normalcy to your time on the road. You might be away from home, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t taking the time to care for yourself.
Keep Yourself Entertained
Work doesn’t always have to feel like work. And finding ways to keep yourself engaged while driving is a great way to blur the line between working time and free time.
Prepare for your time on the road by downloading interesting podcasts and your favorite music. These are great ways to better enjoy yourself as you go about your daily duties. Balancing out your work time is much easier when it doesn’t even feel like work.
Eat Well
Junk food might taste great in the moment, but it makes you feel worse over time. This is especially true the longer it goes on. Much like proper sleep and daily exercise, a healthy diet will make you feel better during your work hours.
A proper work-life balance can be achieved through mitigating the less ideal portions of our workdays. And a great way to do that is to avoid them altogether.
Take Steps to Manage Stress
Driving can be stressful. There are frequent potentially-dangerous situations when you are working truck driving jobs and they can be a drain on your physical and mental health over time.
Breathing techniques, taking care of your health, and working to avoid road rage are great ways to address the stressful aspects of your working hours. Stress can leak over from your workday into your free time which makes it difficult to strike a great work-life balance.
