How To Work From Home: Guide To Preserve Your Work-Life Balance in 4 Steps

“You will never find time for anything. If you want time, you must make it.” – Charles Buxton

These days, many of us are working from home. We find ourselves juggling between personal and professional responsibilities every day. We are all trying to do our best work while also tending to the needs of families or other commitments. It can be tough to keep up with it all!

Have you experienced this situation and tried to get a balance in your life? If so, then look no further. There’s no reason why working from home shouldn’t be achievable and enjoyable at the same time. Right?

I started experiencing a struggle between my personal and work life the moment I had to work from home due to the pandemic. I want to share some tips, very easy to follow, that you can incorporate into your day-to-day life to have a balanced life. If you start this system today, you will become productive at work and have a great time in your personal life.

To gain your work-life balance, start with the following 4 steps today for happier days:

• Establish clear boundaries
• Set a designated workspace
• Stick to your daily schedule
• Take regular breaks

1. Establish clear boundaries

It would help if you established boundaries to enjoy your work and personal life while working from home. Why? Well, because it’s quite challenging to separate our work and home life in a way due to technology. We have become accustomed to being accessible at all times, checking work emails late at night and answering work calls on weekends. That’s not sustainable!

So, it’s essential you establish some ground rules and set clear boundaries between your work and personal life. How can you do it?

Tip 1: Start by separating your work and personal phone. If you can’t, then it’s time to remove all work applications such as Gmail, Outlook, Slack, or Teams from your personal phone.

Tip 2: Live in the moment and only fulfil your work activities during your work time and personal commitments during your personal time. If you decide that today your working hours are from 8 am – 5pm with a 1-hour break for lunch or a walk in the middle of the day, stick to that plan.

Tip 3: Ignore work calls and emails when you are away and leverage your team to cover for you when necessary.

Tip 4: Avoid eating in your workspace or taking a personal call when focused on work.

Creating a balance between work and home life will lead you to increased productivity at work and improved mental health, and better relationships with family and friends. Having rules to balance your work and personal responsibilities will help you create healthier habits and maintain a happy and fulfilled life.

2. Set up a designated workspace

As we all know, working from home can offer convenience and flexibility, but navigating around the distractions of a busy household can prove challenging. I recommend establishing a designated workspace in your home to get around those distractions. Why? Well, it will help you avoid distractions and stick to those boundaries we discussed before.

To designate a dedicated workspace in your home, follow these simple tips.

Tip 1: If you have a bigger space in your home, dedicate a room to your work and work only. It eliminates the temptation of “just quickly checking” your emails from the couch and allows you to focus solely on your work tasks.

Tip 2: If you have little space, dedicate a small corner to your work. It could be a corner in the hallway, your dressing room, your living room, or the kitchen, whatever is available to you.

Tip 3: Consider that you are there to work when you are in that work corner or space. Conversely, once you are out of that space, you are not responding to calls or emails from work.

Having your workspace separate from your personal space will allow you to get into that “working” mindset and accomplish more in less time. Try it out for yourself today, and watch your productivity empower you!

3. Stick to your daily schedule

We are all guilty of multitasking and losing track throughout the day. This becomes a real challenge when working from home. To work from home blissfully, I suggest you create your daily schedule using an Intention Organiser that you will follow no matter what. Why? Well, it will force you to be intentional and mindful about how you use your time.

How to do that? First, think about what you want to achieve today at work and at home. This can include your calls at work, your projects, running a load of laundry and your breaks. Then plan with your list in mind by following these few tips.

Tip 1: Decide when you wish to start working to understand when to log off. Is there any personal task needing your attention today?

Tip 2: Think about your priorities for the day. Remember that you need your daily goals to be achievable. Looking at your work schedule, do you have enough time for personal errands? You may have time to start a load of laundry before your morning coffee or tea but not enough time to get your nails done. You may be able to post your mail but not your grocery shopping. You get the point!

Tip 3: Always remember to include a break for lunch or a walk, however busy you are. You may have your long break planned at 12pm for a meal followed by a walk. Always allocate breaks here and there as they allow you to recharge and maintain your productivity.

Investing time planning your day will allow you to be organised and have more time to enjoy your life! No matter your circumstances, sticking to a daily schedule can help you prioritize tasks, accomplish goals, and reduce stress. Why not use the Self-Care Vision Board available in our selection of free tools?

So, take control of your day and become the master of your time by constructing a daily schedule that works for you. Cheers to more productive days!

4. Take regular breaks 

Take a break to balance your life between work and your personal commitments when working from home. Incorporate those breaks into your schedule. Why? Well, you don’t want to feel burnt out from staring at your computer screen for hours. What’s more, including breaks in your daily schedule help you maintain a positive outlook on life. Checkout this article on self-care tips on activities that you can incorporate in your daily routine.

It’s essential to leave your workspace to keep your mind off with something you enjoy outside of work so you can recharge. How? By changing your scenery.

Tip 1: You can head outside for some fresh air and a walk around the block or visit the local park to connect with nature.

Tip 2: If the weather doesn’t permit, clean and unclutter a corner of the house you’ve been putting off for some time. If your home is tidy and spotless, then why not exercise? There are many choices out there, from a Yoga or Pilates session to a Zumba class and even HIIT training. It’s up to you!

Tip 3: If you like cooking, why not prepare a dish for later? It can be relaxing to think about something else, such as making or preparing a meal.

The idea here is to take a break to feel re-energised to refocus. Whatever works for you. So don’t hesitate to step away from your desk and take a breather. Your mind and body will thank you! You will feel awesome!

In Essence 

Working from home can be a real challenge when balancing your home and work responsibilities. However, you can benefit from the flexibility of working from home too.

I hope my tips help you create the perfect environment for productivity while still dedicating time to relaxation and leisure activities with family and friends. Feel free to unplug from work when it’s time to do something else.

I hope these tips help you fully enjoy your time at work and outside of work! If you work from home, feel free to share strategies that have helped you maintain your work-life balance.