Work-life balance. We’ve all heard of it. There are countless books and articles written about, podcasts talking about it, and experts debating it. Perhaps we all even strive for it and yet, does work-life balance truly exist? Or is it more of a mythological creature like a unicorn that sounds plausible but simply isn’t real? We spend an incredible amount of time and energy trying to attain work-life balance throughout our lives, yet it successfully eludes many of us, especially those of us working from home. That’s because when you work from home, the boundaries between your personal life and professional life become increasingly blurry, making work-life balance even more challenging and complicated to attain.
Spoiler alert: The truth is you will never attain a perfect and sustainable work-life balance. Throughout your life, your work-life balance will ebb and flow like the waves of the ocean. Instead of the moon as the master manipulator though, it will be your ever-changing schedule, responsibilities, ambition, commitments, passions, values, choices, and circumstances totally outside your control dictating your balance ratio. Sometimes it will feel like 80:20. Other times, it will feel like 40:60. The good news is you can proactively take steps to create a life that closely reflects the balance you so desire more often than not, even when your “office” is a quick walk from your bed, steps away from the heap of clothes begging for your attention in the laundry room, and within ear shot of your toddler watching Cocomelon.
Tried And True Tips To Help You Create Better Work-Life Balance When Working From Home:
Create A Well-Defined Work Vs. Personal Schedule And Stick With It
Don’t take personal calls during your work hours or work calls during your personal time if possible. Otherwise, you’ll constantly be distracted and suffer more FOMO than necessary. And although tempting, don’t go start a load of laundry at 8:59am if you start work at 9am. Honor your commitment to start work on time even if your boss isn’t looking over your shoulder. Integrity matters!
Prepare To Work From Home As You Would Going To A Physical Office
Take a shower. Do your hair. Dress the part. Slap on some slacks even if your co-workers are knowingly in their pajama bottoms on Zoom calls. You will feel more presentable, accountable, and work-minded which will enable you to show up as your best, most-focused and professional self. Save the loungewear for the weekend.
Take A Proper Lunch Break
In full disclosure, I’m not always great at this. If you tend to skip meals during your workday because (let’s be honest), the work is never-ending, set an alarm. Take a break for your mind and body. Get away from your desk, eat something healthy and energizing, take your dog for a walk, meditate, or read an article. Even if it’s only for 10 minutes, take a break from your work. It may seem counter-productive but you’ll return to your work refreshed and refocused.
Define Your Workspace
You might not have the luxury of a private office in your home but you still need to create a designated workspace away from the television and other tempting distractions. Use an organizer to stock your workspace with all the essentials so you don’t have to make numerous trips around your house throughout the day tracking down pens, paper clips, notebooks, and the like. Keep everything you need for a successful workday within arm’s reach of your designated workspace, be it at your kitchen table or in your library.
Build A Gap Between Your Professional And Personal Life
Remember back in 2019 when you would leave work at the end of the day and call a friend, turn on your favorite jams, or listen to a podcast on your drive home or to pick up your kiddos? For many of us, that built-in gap provided a sacred time to reset our brains and transition from our professional life to our personal life. If that gap has disappeared and your kids are banging on your office door demanding attention when the clock strikes five, it’s no wonder you feel stressed out and touched out. Create a gap between work and play to allow yourself the time to transition and get in the right headspace to give your loved ones your attention.
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