With more people working from home due to the pandemic, it can be hard to find balance. At first it is hard to be productive because you’re not used to working and living in the same space. But with a little work and some healthy boundaries, you can enjoy work from home life.
Get dressed
If your job required you to get dressed a certain way everyday up until you started working from home it might be tempting to abandon that and just work in your pajamas all day. On some days that may be fine, but you may find that getting dressed for the day will help you be a bit more productive. When you get dressed it can put you into work mode rather than lounge around the house mode.
That’s not to say that if you have to wear a suit in the office that you should do the same at home. You can still dress casually, but it’s likely that getting out of your pajamas into something else will help you transition into your work day much easier.
Have a designated workspace
When you start working from home it can be fun to think of all the different places you can work. From your bed, from your patio, the kitchen counter while you make breakfast. And while that’s totally fine sometimes, it’s important to have a designated workspace in your home. This way you will have a set space where you know you can get work done without distraction. Also while working from bed sounds luxurious, finding a more ergonomic position to sit in for eight hours a day will help you out in the long run.
Connect with people
Just because you’re working from home doesn’t mean you have to shut yourself off from the world. Whether you’re comfortable with seeing others in person or not, it’s still important to get that time in to connect with people. Whether it’s hopping on a call with a co-worker a few times a week or getting coffee with a friend (with the necessary precautions), you’ll be much happier if you can continue to socialize with the people you care about. Working from home can feel a bit isolating, so set an intention to connect with someone at least a few times a week.
Establish boundaries
Working from home blends together your work and your home life so you may find that you’re always working, that you’re feeling a bit burnt out or that it’s impossible to be productive with the chaos of your household. By establishing boundaries you can set work times and let coworkers know when you’ll get back to them if they decide to contact you outside of work hours so you can stop feeling like you need to reply to that email at 9pm on Friday. You can even set boundaries with the people in your household by giving them some guidelines on when you can and can’t be interrupted during your work day.
Schedule time for news and social media
During this pandemic it can be hard to look away from the news. But for your own mental health, it’s a good thing to be able to get away from it. Social media can be the same, pandemic or not. Try setting aside a certain time everyday when you can spend time checking the latest news and catching up with your favorite people on social media.
Don’t be afraid to change things when needed. Finding the perfect balance when working from home doesn’t exist, but you can definitely identify what is and isn’t working for you and try out different things until you find what works best.
