How To Maintain a Work-Life Balance While Working from Home
Greater flexibility is one of the most appealing aspects of remote work. Employees now can take advantage of the opportunity to work from anywhere by working from home in their sweatpants and develop a flexible schedule to balance work and family duties. Bear in mind though, with such an advantage comes additional pressure. If you work non-traditional hours or aren’t in touch with your teammates daily, you may feel pressured to spend more time online and working than you would in the office. Hence why you need a work-life balance because those who maintain a healthy work-life balance are often happier and less stressed. You’ll be more driven, productive, and produce better work if you’re happier. Read on for some tips on how to maintain a work-life balance while working from the comfort of your home.
Take Time for Yourself in The Morning
You might have seen how working from home affects your work-life balance. Emails are almost certainly the beginning and end of your day. However, don’t make it a habit to get out of bed and into your work chair. Take some time to yourself in the mornings, just as you would if you were going to work. Shower, have breakfast and spend time with family over a cup of coffee. Now that you’re at home, you’ll have more time to pursue your interests, whether it’s playing the guitar or reading a book. Begin the day by focusing on yourself instead of your work. If you’re used to thinking about work as soon as you wake up, keep in mind that it can usually wait.
Make a Daily Schedule
When you have the freedom to work from anywhere, it might be tempting to feel obligated to be always available and online. This might lead to a lack of work-life balance, especially when you work on a different schedule than your teammates. Thus, having a to-do list can be beneficial. Use your smartphone to organize your schedule. If you use Samsung Galaxy smartphone, you can use Bixby Home to arrange your schedule or if you are an iPhone user, feel free to utilize the Calendar App. Using this method allows you to better plan your day while also making it easy for your coworkers to understand your schedule. Your team will know exactly when they can reach you and when they won’t, and you’ll be able to schedule personal activities outside of work.
Set Up a Home Office
It’s a good idea to set up your office wherever in your house when you work remotely. On some days, you may work from your couch, while on others, you may work from your kitchen counter. While this may appear to be a wonderful setup, it might lead to distraction and a poor work-life balance. So, what you can do is create a dedicated workspace within your home where you can be productive during the day. Having different locations for work and play makes it a lot easier to mentally move from working mode to home mode. When it’s time to clock in, you’ll know to go to a specific area within your home, like being in the office. Limit where and when you can do business to keep work from invading your personal time.
Make Full Use of Your Lunch Hour
When things get hectic at work, it might be difficult to find time to eat. Whatever the case may be, make a lunch break a regular part of your day if you work from home by setting a calendar or phone reminder. Consume nutritionally balanced meals throughout the day to make the most of your workday. If you have a habit of skipping meals, keep some nutritious snacks on hand to avoid a blood sugar crash and feeling grumpy. If you have some spare time, keep up with the latest news on social media or get a power nap. Self-care helps you achieve a healthy work-life balance by allowing you to devote more time to yourself.
Plan Post-Work Activities
If your living space and workspace are in the same location, it might be difficult to completely walk away from work at the end of the day even if you’ve closed your laptop and signed off. Therefore, plan post-workday activities to let off steam and make it a daily habit to achieve work-life balance goals for yourself. Whether it’s connecting with family and friends through video calls or doing your monthly grocery shopping, you’ll be more inclined to sign off and stop working if you have something planned for the end of your workday. If you don’t have time to go to the gym, try something easy like going for a walk with your dog or doing simple workouts. Physical activity daily can help boost concentration, memory, and creativity.