Some of you have been working from home for a long time, at least the last two years. Others are maybe now working from home again. How does that work? Especially if you’re sitting at home doing your work? Do you struggle to maintain your work-life balance while working from home?
How can you stay motivated to maintain your work-life balance while working from home?
For many, work-life balance has shifted, and their home life is now more about taking care of the family and managing the household, while their job is done at night or on weekends.
For others, it’s all about working really long hours during the week and then taking a break on the weekend.
It’s wonderful to love what you do for your work, but it’s also very important that you take your rest time. You need playtime, your time just to kind of chill out and not worry about anything. And that’s where there have been some problems. With more people working from home, a lot of people feel like they can’t take that time, they feel like they have to continue to work all the time. Maintaining a separate work / home environment can be challenging.
Tips to maintain balance while working from home
Create an environment for your workplace
You want to create an environment that is comfortable for you. A work place where you can be productive, where you’re not going to be disturbed, and where you have all the tools that you need. The less distractions the better.
You also want to have a cut-off time for your work time. You don’t want to be working all the time. You want to have time for yourself. Setting a set work schedule while you are working from home keeps your work life and home life separate.
Dress for work
Get up and shower just as you would if you needed to make that commute to your work and get into work clothes. It doesn’t have to be a suit and tie, but try to dress appropriately for the work that you’re going to do. Getting dressed and sticking to your normal work routines can help.
If you start doing this, you’ll be able to strike a balance between your career and your personal life. In addition, anytime you’re in your private life, change into the clothes you would normally wear for home.
Organize your day
Just as if you were leaving the house to go to work, you would have your day planned out. If you normally would check your emails in the morning, spend the first half-hour or hour replying to them, and then prioritize your day.
Take charge of your day.
Even if you work from home, you want to manage it. That might mean including some personal stuff in between some personal tasks or some personal hobbies if your boss is flexible or if you’re the boss. You don’t want to get lost in the day-to-day monotony of work, especially when you are working from home. You need breaks. Plan your day in such a manner that it will be simpler for you to handle your task.
If you are sitting at a desk all day make sure that you schedule move breaks. Get up from your chair and stretch or do a quick walk around the house. Get the blood flowing. Think about what you would normally do in the office. Moving around and taking breaks will help keep your mind fresh and your body healthy.
You must strike a balance and be able to devote time to both your family and your hobbies; this is important. Another thing that really helps to keep you on track, especially if you’re working from home, is to check in with your coworkers. As a result, you may still communicate with them as if you were at work. This helps you to have a sense of normality.
The best way to find a work-life balance is to take time for yourself outside of your job.
This includes spending time with your family and friends. It’s important to do this, not to to just maintain your happiness but also to change the perspective in which you view your job.
One of the biggest challenges in creating a work-life balance is that many people feel like they have to constantly be working.
They don’t take time for themselves, and they don’t have any clear boundaries between work and personal life.
If you follow these tips to help you maintain your work-life balance while working from home you should have an easier time setting these boundaries. Change out of your work attire into something more comfortable at the end of the day. Keep to your set schedule and “leave” your work environment. If you can manage to do this, you won’t feel exhausted or overwhelmed, and you won’t feel obliged to work for much longer than required.
Best,
Dr. Asha Prasad
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