Getting an opportunity to work from home once in a while during regular office going days is a very welcome treat for most of us, isn’t it? However, working from home during these Lockdown times to avoid the spread of Covid 19, not knowing for how many more days, is a different game altogether.
Being confined into your homes, managing family members and household chores, very limited chance to step out of homes and take a small walk to unwind, laziness and boredom kicking in so often, etc. is extremely overwhelming.
When you work in the same physical space that you eat, sleep and watch Television in, finding the right balance between work and everyday life can be a challenge. All of us in these difficult times are struggling with Lockdowns due to Covid-19. There are boundaries and limitations, and we find ourselves torn between household chores and office work at home. Whether you’re in the field of Front Line Operations or Backend Support Functions, it is common to find yourself working till later hours than planned or replying to emails at unseemly hours.
The question is: How can we maintain a healthy balance between our professional lives and our personal lives? How can we keep developing our careers, while fully tending to ourselves, our families? The road to a good work-life balance may be long and twisted, but the following work-life balance tips can help you attain your goals.
What is work-life balance?
Why is it important?
Work-life balance refers to the way in which we prioritize our time and effort between professional and personal obligations. It isn’t necessary to have an equilibrium between the two. But rather creating a lifestyle in which you’re not overworking and are not over-stressed. A good work-life balance will leave you with enough time and energy to focus on your personal life, making sure you enjoy this time with family at home or your alone time, by doing things you enjoy.
There are many factors that could impact your work-life balance. For e.g. your boss’ demands, family obligations, and responsibilities both at work and at home. Some of these are easier to control, whereas others may be a result of different life circumstances that are not necessarily only up to you. Finding a healthy work-life balance is highly important to your overall well-being. It can reduce stress levels. In addition, people who are satisfied with their work-life balance are likely to be happier at work, resulting in improved performance and productivity. As a leader, business heads and manager, promoting a healthy work-life balance within your team can be a good way to support employees while working remotely.
Tips on how to balance between work from home and life
1. Create a designated workspace
2. Get aptly dressed for work
3. Set specific work hours
4. Determine achievable goals
5. Take proper breaks
6. Make post-work plans
7. Be good to yourself and reward yourself for a task completed
8. Accept imperfection
9. Have a Positive, Productive and Healthy Mindset
1. Create a designated workspace
Working from home isn’t always as glamorous as it may seem. The chances are, you won’t be sitting on your bed with a cup of latte` in your hand, surrounded by D’decor. In fact, if you want to successfully balance work and life, it’s probably not the best idea to work from your bed. Instead, locate an appropriate spot at home in which you can set up your little workspace/office. Having a place at home that is exclusively for working will help you distinguish between work and leisure, making this an important 'Working from Home' tip. It’s generally recommended to avoid working in a place you strongly associate with relaxation, such as your couch or bedroom. Although you may not have a dedicated spare room, do your best to create a workspace that feels comfortable for you. If you’re working from your kitchen/dining table or sharing a desk with some other member in your home, try to keep your space clean and organized to avoid distractions. Your work environment should get you in the right mood, so make sure you have everything you need, from a pen and notebook/diary to headphones with microphones for virtual meetings or calls; also, to listen to soothing instrumental music.
2. Get aptly dressed for work
You may not be leaving the house, but that doesn’t mean that you should be in your pyjamas all day. Switching from home clothes to work clothes helps you make that mental shift, getting you in the right state of mind to work - or relax. The famous tagline of Monte Carlo ‘It’s the way you make me feel’ is so true as clothes do make you feel. Casual wear will make you feel Casual, on the other hand, a three-piece suit will make you feel Authoritative. Physically preparing yourself for the day ahead will also prepare you mentally. So, decide a day prior - what you going to wear tomorrow. Treat your home office as a real work environment. Some people find it helpful to separate between work clothes and home clothes. Once your workday is over, try changing your outfit to clearly mark the end of your work responsibilities and the beginning of your personal time.
3. Set specific work hours
Overworking is highly common, particularly in certain industries and professions. Operating from home, you don’t have the opportunity of moving from one space to another, giving you the chance to physically disengage from your job. Even if you’ve moved from the desk to the couch or kitchen, your computer is still just a few steps away. When working from home, one of the best time management tip is to set specific work hours - and make sure your teammates and manager are also aware of them. Notify your colleagues, or mark in your hours on a shared calendar app. This way, you’re less likely to receive emails and meeting proposals during your non-work hours. Decide when you want to start and end each day. Factor in your lunch break and other personal responsibilities, like cooking for your family, etc. This will lead to a more realistic schedule, helping you stick to your work hours successfully and get household chores at ease.
4. Determine achievable goals
Take a look at your day and week ahead. Ask yourself what your priorities are at work: Do you have any specific deadlines? What are the must-haves and the nice-to-haves? Once you have an idea of what you need to work on this week, you’ll be able to set your goals and plan out your days. Try to make your goals as realistic and achievable as possible to increase the chances of actually sticking to them. There are plenty of time management apps that can help you. In turn, you’ll be more likely to adhere to deadlines and improve your productivity, giving you time to focus on other aspects of your life. While you don’t need to write down specific goals regarding your personal life, it’s always a good idea to take a moment to think about what you want to achieve. Is there anything you’d like to accomplish today, or this week? Perhaps you’ve been wanting to read a book or do something else that brings you joy.
5. Take proper breaks
When working from home you don’t have colleagues around with whom to take coffee breaks, but this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t indulge in proper breaks from work. Giving yourself the time to step away from your desk is vital for your work and life balance. Removing yourself from your duties can also be a good way to deal with Stress. It will give you the breather you need to revitalize and look at your tasks with a fresh mind. You may also find that taking breaks will help you be more productive. If possible, set a dedicated time for your lunch break, and do your best to disconnect from work during this time. You can also take mini-breaks every hour or so, in order to take a short walk around, stretch, or even utilize the time to do personal chores.
6. Make post-work plans
Even with a strict work schedule, it’s all too easy to find yourself getting caught up in your task and working extra hours. Knowing when to let go and continue tomorrow isn’t always easy. Hence, an achievable and realistic goal - is the key. Making plans for the end of your workday is equally important in Goal Setting. Unless there’s a task that absolutely needs to be completed today, deciding on an indulgence can help you shift from work-mode to self-mode. Whether you plan to exercise, call a friend, or try your hands-on cooking, personal time is crucial to your overall well-being and helps result in a positive work-life balance.
7. Be good to yourself and Reward Yourself for a task completed
With so many responsibilities, being good to yourself and rewarding yourself can sometimes be the last thing on your to-do list. However, remind yourself that prioritizing your own well-being is vitally important. If you feel happier and more satisfied, the chances are you’ll be better work focused, as well as a better friend, partner, parent, and so on. It is ok if you don’t know how to balance work and life in the best possible way, there are a few practical things you can do to try to be good to yourself. First and foremost, give yourself time to unwind after work. Previously, people would use their travel time to unwind before reaching home e.g. listen to songs, watch a movie etc. Don’t be afraid to unplug even at home. Put away your smartphone, disconnect from the outside world, and let yourself relax and decompress. Lastly, allocate time for yourself and your loved ones. You may not have all the time you want, try to find small slots in which you can maintain relationships and treat yourself to something you enjoy. Reward yourself with things you love to do while you’re at home maintaining social distancing.
8. Accept imperfection
There are plenty of work-life balance tips to help you reach your lifestyle goals. You can do your best to have a work-life balance, but ultimately, there are many factors that can impact your balance, such as your type of job, work hours, family situation and more. Sometimes, you need to accept that the separation between work and life won’t always be ideal. Your expectations won’t always live up to reality. You could find yourself having to answer a work call while spending time with your children, or responding to an important email as you sit down for your long-awaited chat with your partner. Be realistic, ask yourself where you can let go a bit, without risking your job, or harming your relationship. For example, can you set boundaries with your potentially overworking manager/co-worker or adapt the way chores are done at home? Whatever agreements you come to with the people around you, make sure you’re tending to your own needs and being realistic with yourself. A perfect work-life balance may not be attainable a hundred percent, and the constant search for it can be exhausting, so allow yourself to embrace imperfection every now and again.
9. Have a Positive, Productive and Healthy Mindset
Positive and a Productive Mindset is an Attitude That Can Improve Your Whole Life. Positive thinking doesn't mean that you keep your head in the sand and ignore life's less pleasant situations. Positive thinking just means that you approach unpleasantness in a more positive and productive way. Try and look at situations the other way around. Sometimes we look at the problem so closely that we cannot notice the solutions around it. With Covid-19 surrounding the world the news channels all about a number of deaths and number of people affected by Covid-19. Have we thought about how nature is healing itself? Have we thought about how wonderful it is not to live the horrors of everyday travel and traffic? It’s time to focuses on the positives. Time to share your saved travel time with family, things you would love to do at home and new learnings. Get to bed early or watch TV / Netflix or try out those culinary skills. However, don’t forget to meditate or exercise, because a healthy mind is a healthy body. Take up a webinar training session that will help you upgrade your skills; you will be surprised how these will come handy once the lockdown is over.
Utilize your saved travel time in New Learnings and Self Development.