Many people who work remotely say that the ability to maintain a good work-life balance is one of the top benefits. In fact, many people pursue remote work to:
- Spend more time with their families
- Work on their hobbies
- Travel to new locations
It’s been said that remote work is a “family friendly” arrangement and there’s an entire culture dedicated to being a “digital nomad.”
However, sometimes remote work can have the opposite effect, where job responsibilities interfere with personal interests and obligations, negatively impacting work-life balance.
In this article, we’ll provide some work-life balance tips to help you stay productive doing remote work, while still leaving time each day for your family, friends, hobbies and personal interests.
WHY IS WORK-LIFE BALANCE SO IMPORTANT FOR REMOTE WORK?
Working from home can make it more challenging to set boundaries between personal and professional life. We have to admit, it’s hard to “leave work” when your work is right next door, in your bedroom or right at your fingertips. Responding to emails before bed, “doing quick work” when you wake up, using your work phone when you’re out with friends, and many other “small” things can easily add up and lead to an unhealthy work-life balance, interfering with everyday life.
These habits can ultimately lead to burnout. When work and life aren’t balanced, it can take a toll on your health and well-being. In the long run, you’ll be less productive than you could have been taking a more balanced approach to life and work. For that reason, we’ve compiled a list of some of the best ways to maintain a healthy distinction between your personal and professional life.
1. Establish a home office, or a dedicated workspace
If possible, create a dedicated room or a dedicated workspace, and separate your work from personal life. This will help you focus on the tasks at hand without being distracted or interrupted by other non-work related matters. If you don’t have the extra space, clear away any personal items when working. When not working, cover the area, including any screens that might tempt you to login and work more, especially at night.
2. Create a routine
To keep personal and professional life separate, create a routine for your work tasks and personal time. Working at the same time each day helps establish a pattern to your life and also makes it more likely to maintain regular relationships with friends and family.
During each day, work in blocks of time, with breaks for meals and a walk in the middle of the day if you can.
3. Don’t use your work phone or work computer in your free time
Disconnecting can be very useful! When you are available all the time, your workday never ends.
If you have your work email on your phone or don’t have a separate phone or a computer for work, do your best not to check email or other messages outside of work hours unless absolutely necessary.
Another tip for a computer that is used for work and personal use – create a separate user account or profile for work and personal matters. This will help you maintain digital work-life balance.
4. Make a list of things, or plan what you are going to do after working hours
Working from home can give you more time to do your favorite things, whether it’s exercise, cooking, a class, or going out with friends. Doing what you love outside of work will lower your stress level, increase endorphin levels, and help lift your mood.
While you don’t want to schedule too much of your time outside of work, so you can feel more relaxed, be sure to schedule some free time and enjoyable activities.
5. Set time breakers, and track overtime
“Going home” on time is as important as it is when you are working from the office. Make use of the advantages offered by working remotely and judge your productivity by your results, not the hours you put in.
If you notice that you are putting in too many hours, catch the problem before it arises and give yourself a break.
6. Set boundaries with friends and family
Work-life balance also goes in the other direction. Sometimes, it’s important to make sure you get your work done during work hours, so it doesn’t bleed into your personal life. If there’s too much overlap you won’t be productive at work, then you will need to work more hours and it becomes a vicious cycle
Politely excuse yourself from things that are not your true priorities. Working remotely doesn’t mean that you are not working – drawing boundaries can sometimes be needed! It’s important when you are working to be focused so that you get the most out of that time which allows you to focus back on your personal time when work is done.
7. Use time-tracking software or log your time
Time tracking and monitoring software can be an effective way of achieving good work-life balance. While many people don’t want “micromanage” their time, it can help you to see how your time is being spent at work – and of course, how much time you are spending at work overall.
Following a weekly time log for at least two weeks can help reveal to you whether you are working too much, when you are most productive, and which tasks take you longer to complete than others.
The definition of work-life balance while working from home is different for each one of us. Hopefully we’ve helped you with some of these tips. If you’d like to read about respect in remote work environments, check out this article titled: “8 RULES FOR RESPECT IN REMOTE WORK COMMUNICATIONS”.
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