Work-life harmony is possible when using Work From Home (WFH), but it requires structure and dedication in order for you to achieve it successfully. Here are a few tips to get you started: Make regular working hours known to colleagues, and honor them. Refrain from responding to personal emails, texts, or phone calls outside these times.
1. Establish Your Workspace
Working from home can be a dream come true for professionals, yet it can also blur the lines between work and life. Remote workers may find themselves checking emails or working on projects beyond office hours; this can erode their work-life balance, drain their energy, and diminish focus.
An effective way to combat this issue is to create a clear workspace. Select an area free from distractions like the kitchen, laundry, and PlayStation. Additionally, use Google Calendar’s feature to set your working hours effectively.
2. Set Your Working Hours
Determine when you feel most energetic throughout the day and plan your work schedule around those times—this way, you can get more done without needing extra cups of coffee!
Work can easily creep into personal time when working from home, which is why creating physical boundaries between your office and living areas can help create separation. Turn off notifications for workspaces so they won’t distract you while monitoring your calendar to make sure no meetings outside your set working hours have been scheduled by colleagues.
3. Get Dressed for Work
Working from home offers many advantages, including eliminating long commutes and providing flexibility to set your own schedule. But striking the proper work-life balance can be challenging: without clear boundaries between personal and professional lives, it is easy to become burnt out.
To mitigate this, ensure you dress professionally for work each day. Even if there’s no formal dress code, dress as you would in an office to feel pulled together and prepared for meetings. If unsure, ask coworkers or browse social media photos from company photos for guidance—there could even be company pictures showing what other employees wear to work!
4. Take Breaks
Working from home can be isolating, so scheduling frequent breaks helps keep you connected to the outside world. Ask co-workers for support in sticking to these break times; use an alarm on your phone as a reminder.
Do not spend your breaks folding laundry, updating social media profiles, or cleaning the house (unless that really recharges you). Instead, take a walk, stretch out, dance to some humorous videos, or make something creative—these types of breaks increase productivity and allow you to return feeling energized to work. The Pomodoro Method offers time-tracking techniques that may provide structure to break times.
5. Create a Schedule
Establishing a schedule is crucial because working from home can potentially blur the boundaries between work and personal life. Utilize a to-do list app or Kanban board to prioritize tasks and track how much time each one requires.
Establish start and end times for each shift, record approved time off, and create a daily summary for payroll purposes to establish a sustainable rhythm over time. You could also consider creating a dedicated workspace as well as simple rituals to start and end each day, such as taking a walk or journaling.
6. Turn Off Your Phone
As it can be challenging to distinguish work and personal life when working from home, finding balance can often be challenging. Noise from neighbors or personal distractions (such as binge-watching your favorite true crime series) may impede efforts at maintaining equilibrium and productivity. Establishing a schedule to close off work effectively and return to your personal life is vital.
An effective way of doing this is setting your Slack availability on a calendar, so coworkers are more likely to avoid sending you messages outside your work hours. You could also ask family and housemates to leave you alone at home by saying you’re “working.”
7. Take a Break
Home workers often struggle to separate work from personal time. You might find yourself browsing vacation house rentals during breaks or responding to work messages while relaxing in the tub—not easy when working from home!
Effective communication can help prevent this. By asking for breaks proactively and scheduling them like other meetings, remote workers can establish clear boundaries while feeling supported by their bosses. The key to making sure breaks are truly restorative is making sure they involve activities that promote well-being, such as taking time away from computers and work-related emails and engaging in activities that promote the same.
8. Don’t Overdo It
Working too much can make it hard to remain focused and deliver your best work, leading to burnout and potentially having serious repercussions on both mental and physical well-being. If you find yourself working too much, it’s essential that you set and adhere to reasonable boundaries. Such practices could mean scheduling social meetups at the end of each day, restricting use of personal apps like email and Slack, and signing out once finished for the night.
Another helpful strategy is tracking your work hours over several weeks or months rather than days so that you can more effectively gauge when you are overworking yourself. This allows you to identify common causes of overworking, such as perfectionism, and make course corrections before it’s too late.
9. Don’t Overwork
One common misperception about working remotely is that it’s acceptable to “just log on later.” Unfortunately, overworking can lead to burnout and become counterproductive over time; moreover, overworking could threaten health issues and result in dire consequences like overwork-related deaths (karoshi).
One way to prevent this from happening is to set boundaries—scheduling regular time off, creating a schedule, and prioritizing tasks are all effective measures for doing just this. Interleaving tasks may also increase productivity. Finally, don’t be afraid to ask for assistance—especially if you have workaholic tendencies!
