We recognize that our delivery partners are incredibly hardworking, sometimes hitting the road after working a full day elsewhere. That’s why we want to provide resources and tools to help you build work-life balance into your delivery schedule.
What is work-life balance?
Work-life balance can look different for everyone. It’s not as simple as dividing your time equally between work and play, but about ensuring you’re happy with both aspects of your life. For some, this may mean setting aside time for leisure activities. For others, it could simply mean setting boundaries and not worrying about work during your downtime.
Take some time to reflect on your routines and how you currently feel about your delivery job and your free time. If you always feel stressed on the job, or your leisure or family time seems to be missing something, that may mean it’s time to balance the two.
Why work-life balance is important
Work-life balance can impact you in different ways. Delivery partners who overextend themselves may experience fatigue and a poor sleep schedule, which can be dangerous when you’re on the road for long periods of time. Working too much can also lead to more stress, which has been shown to negatively affect both your physical and mental health.
Tips to balance your work and personal life
Utilize Grubhub’s flexible block scheduling
We offer the flexibility to maintain a healthy work-life balance, with Grubhub drivers working when it’s best for them. Schedule your hours ahead of time to work around other work and personal commitments and leave time to rest. You control your own work schedule, so you can work when you want while leaving time for yourself, family, friends, and hobbies.
Take breaks and get proper sleep
Need a few minutes to recharge before continuing with deliveries? Grubhub offers the ability to take a pause while toggled on in the Driver app — you won’t receive orders for 10 minutes and this will not negatively impact your stats, an opportunity to take a moment for yourself before returning to work.
It’s also important to ensure you get adequate sleep. Lack of sleep can mean reduced alertness, a shortened attention span, and reduced concentration. As a Grubhub driver, these issues can severely affect your ability to work safely and effectively on a delivery job. An adequate and consistent sleep schedule can help delivery partners stay productive and healthy.
Practice self care, like exercising and healthy eating
Just like scheduling blocks of time to deliver, consider setting aside specific times for exercise and eating and stick to it, just as you would with a more typical work schedule. Delivery jobs, as opposed to traditional full-time work, may allow more freedom to cook healthy meals and schedule time to be active. With a flexible delivery schedule, delivery partners can build good habits into their days as part of a healthy work-life balance.
Work-life balance is crucial for all professionals, especially gig workers responsible for their own hours and workload. Scheduling separate work and leisure time, taking breaks when needed, and switching out of “work mode” when you return home can effectively improve your work-life balance. And remember, not every day has to look the same. There may be days when a burst of energy or motivation pushes you to work more than usual. Similarly, there may be times when you need extra rest. The key to a good work-life balance is listening to your body and understanding your needs.
