Finding the sweet spot between work and life is hard for anyone who works from home, but it’s even harder when you work from a home that’s suddenly become everyone else’s office too. Of course, remote work without boundaries can be a recipe for disaster, but boundaries, in the right places, can also facilitate an enviable work-life balance.
According to mmhmm, 42% feel most productive when working from home. Yet boundary blurring is a serious problem: a Workplace Insight report revealed that two-thirds of people find it difficult to switch off from work. Having effective time- and task-management techniques in place is key to creating a sustainable and productive working-from-home setup.
What is work-life balance?
Work refers to the balance between the demands of work and the demands of one’s personal life. It is the state in which one has enough time and energy to do both his or her job and personal interests or obligations. Therefore, it enables individuals to maintain their productivity, while still having time for leisure, family, and caring for themselves.
In recent decades, the concept of work-life balance has played an important role, especially as remote work becomes more commonplace. Having the right balance is essential to prevent physical and mental health issues. In a remote working environment, there is a need to create boundaries between work and home, to avoid the encroachment of work into one’s personal life. This allows us to keep our energy, focus, and creativity levels high, which further helps us to succeed in our personal and professional life.
What are the main challenges of keeping a work-life balance while working remotely from home?
Adapting to remote work poses various challenges. These are the key ones:
Blurring of boundaries
Unlike being in an office, remote work tends to blur the distinction between work hours and family time, especially without clear boundaries for switching off and finishing at the end of the day, and then starting again the next morning. This leads to the potential for longer work hours and subsequent boundaries between work and the ‘rest’ of our lives, this kind of blurring can lead to conflict with family members and compromise on personal recovery time.
Distractions
Working from home is often difficult because you have to compete with lots of distractions from your surroundings: family members, pets, house chores, and so on. Those interruptions can break your concentration and very often, we have to repeat the task over and over again until we regain our concentration. This often extends the hours of work due to these distractions.
Isolation
Disconnection from other staff members will result in feeling isolated and lonely which affects mental health and productivity. This also leads to a lack of motivation and detachment from the team and company culture over time.
Overworking
Remote workers are more likely to work longer hours: it’s more difficult to stop working when there’s no physical office to leave. As a result, burnout increases and long-term productivity often goes down.
Poor time management
Without a structured schedule, it becomes increasingly difficult to manage deadlines and personal commitments. This usually results in either pushing work to the sideline or personal matters, consequently leading to increased stress and again, decreased productivity.
15 ways to improve work-life balance while WFH
Being able to work from home calls for a very good dose of focus and organizing, especially when you have a limited space and a family to look after.
Developing good habits and having the right tools for the job will go a long way to keeping a good work-life balance. Here are 15 tips that can help you achieve it.
1. Utilize BlockSite
BlockSite blocks websites and apps to keep you on task during working hours and free to have a life outside of work. It is powerful but flexible and it allows you to customize when and how long you stay focused. Create your own block list and keep out the same distractors every day, unless you need them on occasion.
2. Create a morning routine
Wake up and do something you like to do, exercise or read a bit, make yourself a coffee, that can put you in the right state for work and prepare you mentally. At the other end of the day, you can establish a similar routine, and it doesn’t matter that they’re different. A rigid, consistent routine works best. You could start the day with a mindfulness practice, such as meditation or journaling for example.
3. Dedicated workspace
Establish an office space in your home that allows you to enter and leave. This helps with the psychological boundaries of work and home life. An ergonomic set-up can take it a step further by making you physically more comfortable and less fatigued.
4. Structured work schedule
Decide on specific work hours and stick to them. That way, work is not allowed to intrude into personal time. A set timetable keeps things on an even keel so you can give tasks and exercises an even share of time, which helps you achieve a more balanced remote life.
5. Take regular breaks
Taking short breaks during the day is very important in order for you to have some rest. You can go for a short walk or just stand up and stretch to minimize stress. Overall focus and productivity will benefit from regular breaks. This is because people will stay energized throughout the day at work and avoid becoming burnt out.
6. Avoid work emails during personal time
Disconnect from work emails after hours to maintain clear boundaries and protect your mental health. Utilizing tools that block work-related notifications during personal time promotes a clearer distinction between work and personal life.
7. Prepare your meals
Making your lunch gives you a mental break from work, encourages you to eat more healthily, and adds a fun personal activity to your day. This regular daily task can contribute to a more balanced and wholesome remote work experience
8. Designate a meeting space
Try to allocate a specific space for these virtual meetings so you don’t slip into the habit of simultaneously working in your bedroom and dining area. Not only does this help maintain focus during the meeting, but it also preserves the integrity of these non-work areas. This reinforces the boundary between work and leisure spaces.
9. Personal time activities
Pursue hobbies or activities that you like, out of working hours, to help you unwind. They would serve to put a full stop to the day’s work activities helping to mentally detach oneself from work. Pursuing personal interests after work would add a satisfying and meaningful end to the day, and aid a good remote life-work balance.
10. Fitness routine
Try exercising your body at least once a day, because exercise is a formula of good physical and mental health. Fitness is a part of daily life that will increase the quality of life and make you to work with more energy and efficiency, both at work and at home.
11. End your workday
Set a definitive stopping time for your working day. Close your laptop and shut the door. End the workday cleanly, and it’ll be easier to maintain that boundary between work and personal time and avoid working excessive hours.
12. Flexible working hours
Adjust the hours you work to suit your personal life while maintaining output. A flexible hours policy could allow you to work around personal responsibilities as well as help rebalance the work/life priorities of those working outside traditional offices.
13. Utilize productivity tools
Utilize calendar blocking and task managers to help keep organized with work and personal tasks, and use application-based time-tracking to optimize work hours while keeping focus on personal activities in support of life-work balance. This is very important for remote work arrangements.
14. Maintain social connections
Meet or talk virtually with your colleagues at least once a week. Team bonding activities in virtual mode help reduce the feeling of isolation. There are many virtual team-building activities you can do to establish a community, and calling your colleagues at home helps reduce loneliness at work.
15. Reflect and adjust
Work-life balance should be evaluated at regular intervals and corrected when a work and life balance can’t be maintained. These periodic evaluations allow us to notice the imbalance, and the effects of that imbalance, and correct it as soon as possible. This helps us keep on working and enjoying our personal lives regularly without problems in remote locations.
Maintain a balanced life while working from home
Working from home can be the most productive and balanced state if you’re intentional about it. All you need is to understand what you need to do to create a healthy split between work time and personal time. Using these methods can make remote working a viable and pleasant long-term experience.
BlockSite can be used to help support your efforts with distraction management. Start using these tips and tools today so that you can begin to bring more balance to your work and life.
FAQs
How can I create a morning routine that prepares me for work?
Wake up and do something that is fun and energizing, like a quick workout, meditation or reading, so the day starts on a positive note.
Why is having a dedicated workspace important?
Having a dedicated workspace helps you distinguish between work and your other leisure activities, which can both increase your productivity and reduce potential distractions during work hours. .
What are some effective ways to manage time while working remotely?
Schedule your time using timetables, make clear priorities, and regulate working hours. Insert explicit breaks at given times of the day and make end-of-day routines a must.
How can remote workers maintain social connections?
Hold regular virtual meetings and social events with colleagues. Stay socially connected by joining online communities and attending virtual gatherings.
What strategies help prevent burnout while working from home?
Make it clear to colleagues and supervisors when work time ends and when you start your personal life. Take breaks, exercise, and switch off work communications after hours.
