Coronavirus trends appear to be declining around the world. However, it remains a big threat to many people. Experts advise caution to prevent a return of the virus.
Many businesses have asked their employees to work from home to keep them safe and free from infections. This has become normal for some, but many employees are still struggling to adjust to this new way of life.
In this short blog, we look at ways to improve your work-life balance while working from home.
Set Up a Structured Work Schedule
Lack of a proper schedule is the biggest problem in adjusting to the new work style. At the office, everything is more structured. Your shift begins at 9, you go to lunch at 1 and get finished by 5:30. You pace yourself accordingly and get everything done on time.
Most people don’t follow a schedule while working from home and it affects their performance. You may not start at 9, get distracted around 12, go for lunch at 3, and still find yourself lagging in getting everything done by 6 in the evening.
If you create a daily work schedule and stick to it, that will help you get things done on time.
Remove Distractions
One of common pet peeves is how difficult it is to focus when working from home, compared to the office environment. There are many distractions from the running TV in the lounge to your housemates and kids distracting you from work.
The best way to overcome this is to separate yourself from others during the day. You can dedicate a room to your office and make it ‘off perimeter’ while you are busy with work. It makes a difference.
Make Plans for After Work Hours
There is a difference between working from home and working at the office. When you log off work and step out of your office, it gives you a feeling that you are free to do what you want. People look forward to that feeling and make plans for the evening.
When you are working from home, you don’t get that feeling that you are finally free, even when you have closed off your laptop. Some people tend to keep working longer than usual, which can burn them out.
To improve work-life balance, make plans for your after-work hours. It doesn’t matter if you hang out with a friend, take a walk in the park or go for a cruise around town; the point is to have some activity in a place that you look forward to after completing work.
Get Some Physical Activity
If you are working from home, the chances are that you won’t be moving around much during the day. Daily physical activity is good for your body and also helps stimulate your brain.
It doesn’t matter what type of physical activity you do. As long as you get some exercise, it will do you a world of good.
Some people prefer to work on yoga or stretches indoors. Some prefer to take a walk in the park or hit the gym.
Don’t Forget to Socialize
Social butterflies particularly miss work because they don’t get that opportunity to mingle with their friends and colleagues. For many people, workplace social interactions help keep them motivated and refreshed. Since social interactions are already limited due to fear of COVID 19, the situation can be depressing.
If you have to work from home, that doesn’t mean an end of your social network.
Try to talk to your work colleagues at least once every now and then to see how they are doing. Share your work problems and keep in touch to know what’s going on. This will help you stay in good spirits and fulfill your social needs as well.
Just remember not to gossip too much or overdo it to a point where it can distract you from work!
That’s all from us on this topic. Following these tips should help you get on top of working from home.