Unfortunately,
many of the strategies people had in place pre-pandemic have lost their
efficacy after working from home became more common.
Around one in
four firms say they’ll continue to allow remote working when all restrictions have been lifted. While home-based working can provide a lot of
benefits, like more comfort and no commute, it has its downsides too.
For instance,
it’s difficult to draw a line between your professional and personal life when they both take place in the same
environment.
Fortunately,
there are ways to improve your work/life balance, even when working remotely.
Have a Specific
Space for Work
One of the
most important things you need when working remotely is the right space. While working from your sofa might seem like a good
idea at first, it means you’re constantly exposed to a range of distractions
and potential sources of procrastination.
Additionally,
having no designated space for work means you have no way to “close the door” at
the end of your working day. It’s easy to
continue working even when your hours are over because you feel like you haven’t
left the workplace.
Assigning a
specific space for your work ensures you can separate your home and
professional lives in a very literal way. Plus, it means you’re less likely to
get distracted by whatever
else might be happening in your home.
Set a Schedule
Some companies
offering remote working opportunities are also giving their employees extra
flexibility to choose their working hours.
While this
might sound like a great idea initially since it gives you more time to handle
other responsibilities, lack of structure is confusing. Even if your schedule changes on a day-to-day basis,
you still need a plan of action you can follow each day.
Ideally, you
should have a specific weekly schedule you follow most of the time – except in
the case of emergencies and changes which can’t be helped. The schedule will
act as guidelines to make sure you’re not overburdening yourself with too much
work.
Learn When to
Shut Off
Switching off
from work can be one of the biggest challenges for today’s remote and flexible
workers. This is particularly true when you’re working from home and your
computer is only a few feet away.
A good way to
avoid going back to work after you’re supposed to be finished is to “switch off”
your devices and notifications.
Set your
status to away or unavailable when you’re not going to be able to answer
messages and calls. You can even
indicate your working hours on your digital calendar, so people can see when
they can reach you.
Turn all of
your notifications off on your smartphone too, so they don’t tempt you to get
involved with “work things” outside of the appropriate hours.
Look After
Yourself
Employers in a
standard office environment are legally required to give their
employees breaks and time for lunch. They need to provide a certain level of
care to their staff. When you’re working from home, however, it can be hard to
provide yourself the same amount of care.
Make sure you
stay on top of your wellbeing by taking regular breaks throughout the day. Stretch your legs and take your eyes off your
computer for a while. Take the dog for a walk or go and get yourself a glass of
water every so often.
Make sure you
take enough time to eat healthy food too. As easy as it can be to simply snack
and graze through the day, a proper lunch will give you more energy, while
reducing your risk of weight gain.
Make Plans
Outside of Work
Finally,
remember to make plans outside of work. Get away from your “office” and enjoy
some time to yourself. When you’re not working, you should be spending as
little time in your workspace as possible. This will make you less tempted
to work on projects you haven’t finished and end up burning yourself out.
Where
possible, look for opportunities to get outside and enjoy the wider world. It
can be easy to feel isolated and disconnected when you’re working from home.
Going out for a walk or connecting with friends and family can help to bring
you back into the “real world”.
Making plans
outside of work should also help you to continue prioritizing your personal
life just as much as you look after your career.
No comments:
Post a Comment