Finding Your Work-From-Home Balance

Finding balance in our lives can be challenging under normal circumstances, so it’s understandable that the current situation has thrown many of us out of whack. For many professionals who have made the switch to working from home, a recalibration may be in order. It’s likely that the line between your personal life and work life looks a bit blurrier, and this can cause our stress levels to creep even higher. It’s not about looking for perfection here. We’re all in a challenging time, trying to do the best we can. Today, I want to look at a few ways to consider balance if you’ve recently transitioned to remote work. If you might benefit from a recalibration, here are so key things to keep in mind:

Hours

Have your hours changed at all in this switch? This could mean the number of hours you work a week, the time of day that you work, and your weekly schedule. Many professionals didn’t have much time to prepare for this change in environment, so taking a pause to assess your hours now that you’re set up at home is wise. Making yourself an actual schedule can be highly beneficial. This is especially useful if you live with other people. The better they understand your schedule, the better they can respect your work time. This schedule also encourages you to respect the boundaries you create between work and personal. If you finish at 6pm on Tuesdays, let that be a hard stop. Don’t bring your computer with you to watch a movie or plan to finish things from bed. Maintaining these boundaries is the foundation of a healthy balance.

Breaks

We also may need to reexamine what we need at this time. Maybe we need a bit more time to relax or let off steam. Maybe we need more time with our families. Maybe we need more time to rest. Whatever the case, scheduling breaks into your day is important. This helps you show up at your best in both your work and personal time. Include these breaks in your daily schedule and use them as opportunities to let yourself recharge. Whether that’s going for a run, reading a book with your kids, or simply sitting quietly with your eyes closed for a few minutes.

Priorities

For many of us, the current situation has significantly altered our lives. It’s not just simply working from home. Many parents became home-school teachers overnight. Some had to navigate a lack of childcare while still having a full-time workload. Other people might be battling incredibly high stress levels. Whatever your situation is, it’s understandable if your priorities have shifted a bit. Either way, it’s a good time to check in on them. Reminding yourself of what’s most important to you can help you better transition from work to personal and vice versa. When you identify your top few priorities, it helps you better organize your time without worrying so much about if you’re giving your energy to the right things. Set these priorities and allow them to guide the schedule you create for yourself.

Have you found that working from home changed your work-life balance? How have you adjusted? Are there any tips you’d like to share? We’d love to hear from you!