Due to numerous obstacles and challenges, it can be quite difficult to master work and life when working from home. But seeing as remote work is on the rise, it’s only natural that we overcome these obstacles and strike a perfect balance.
If you’re relatively new to the concept of remote work, then this is the article for you. In this article, we will tell you how to master the work and life balance when working from home.
Acknowledge That It’s Going To Be Different
Regardless of how much our bosses tell us about it, working from home is very different than being in the office. For many people, remote work is a better option. But for the vast majority of the workforce that isn’t used to working from home, it will take time to adapt to the new surrounding.
Working from home naturally hinders the work-life balance. This is because achieving the perfect balance requires us to be at work, not at home. So the first thing to do is to acknowledge that things will be different. You might cherish the morning coffee routine with your coworkers. Well, come to terms with the fact that there will be no more of it. This can be applied to every small and big thing we do at work, whether that’s attending team meetings, training interns, etc.
Regardless of how much you hate it to be true, things will be different when working from home.
Get Your Own Space Free Of Interruptions
The best way to achieve the perfect work and life balance when working from home is to simulate being in the office. To do this, you will need to build your very own home office. But not just any home office, an entire room where you can retreat during the day and get away from family life.
To achieve this balance, we have to put an equal amount of time into our work. And the only way to do that is if we have our own space where the family won’t interrupt us while working. Since you will still need to attend to your work responsibilities, having the ability to work without being interrupted is a must.
Create A Schedule
Plenty of people prefer working from home as it gives them extra flexibility. And when you have the flexibility to work from home, it is acceptable to work outside the traditional 9 to 5 working hours. Sometimes, personal activities require us to be away for an hour or two. The brilliance of remote work makes it possible to replenish the lost time by working outside the traditional work schedule.
So another great way to achieve a perfect work and life balance is to create a schedule. This will help both you and your company. By notifying your company of your work schedule, they will know when to reach you. A schedule can be especially helpful if the added flexibility gives you plenty of extra home responsibilities. Responsibilities such as preparing food, driving the kids to school, picking them up, etc, are the sort of activities that we simply must do.
And what companies can do is trust that their employees will get the job done regardless of when.
Use Communication Tools To Indicate When You’re Online
There are plenty of online tools that help you indicate when you’re online and when you’re offline. These tools are especially handy when needing to remind others of your schedule. One of the best communication tools for this is a software called Slack. This software allows team members to communicate, share files, and notify others when they’re available.
Whenever you end your shift, simply set the software so you don’t receive notifications. In addition to slack, other tools also exist such as Google Calendar and even good ol’ Skype.
Plan What You’re Going To Do After Work
Since we’ve talked plenty about work, we have to achieve balance by talking a bit about life. Since you’ll be working from home, it can be quite difficult to truly step away from work at the end of the day. You’ll still have your laptop or personal computer by your side. The only difference is that you’ll be set to “away”.
You can still work even after you’ve logged off. But this will only hinder the work-life balance. To truly become a master, try to plan as many after-work activities. This could be anything from meeting with a friend for happy hour drinks to going to the gym.
What’s important is to have something to do after work. Otherwise, you’ll end up hindering the balance by doing more work.
Go For A Walk
For all the benefits working from home provides us, there is still the notion that we’re stuck in a chair all day. Albeit, this time it’s in a chair at home. So one way to strike a perfect balance is to take short breaks. The best for this is to go for a walk in your nearby park. Not only will you stretch yourself from all that sitting, but you’ll also get the much-needed dose of Vitamin D. When you get back, you’ll feel more productive and be ready to tackle the next task head-on.
Finishing Thoughts
Working from home while the kids are running around will be strange at first. But that shouldn’t stop you from finding the perfect balance to attend to both work and personal life. Ultimately, mastering this balance is up to you as each person has different responsibilities that they need to attend to during the day.
