Maintaining work/life balance as a remote worker
Working from home can seem like an idyllic dream. What’s not to like? No scraping the ice from your windscreen during bitter winter months. No awkward conversations with colleagues over a packed lunch that has seen better days. Less germs. More snooze button. Pyjamas.
Yet, for those whose home is also their office, it can be tricky to maintain a healthy balance between work life and home life. As unhealthy habits gradually develop, the boundary between time ‘at work’ and time ‘at home’ can become blurred and it can begin to feel as though you’re working more than ever.
Whether you’re trying to work from home productively during the school holidays, working part-time on an academic qualification or taking the leap to become a full-time remote worker, start off on the right foot by following these simple tips and tricks.
Maintain a Morning Routine
The benefits of a good night’s sleep are well documented and it’s certainly true that a good 7–9 hours a night will leave you feeling focused and refreshed. Make sure you’re practising a good morning routine by setting your alarm for the same time each morning, and resist the temptation to snooze the morning away.
When you know that you won’t physically see anyone during your working day, it becomes easy to skip the little things that you used to do that make you feel like yourself, such as showering before work, styling your hair or applying a spritz of perfume. Self-care can be one of the first things to suffer when the boundary between ‘work’ and ‘home’ blurs. Decide upon a morning routine that you would consider to be the minimum you would do before going to an office and do it for yourself before the working day begins.
Dress the Part
One of the perks of working from home is not having to buy and wear smart, uncomfortable clothing. However, it is important to have a distinction between your leisure clothes and those that you wear when you want to feel productive. Think ‘casual Fridays’ — not quite pyjamas, not quite interview chic. A simple, comfortable shirt paired with a nice pair of jeans or trousers can go a long way towards creating a work mindset and can help you to compartmentalise clothing that you wear for work and clothing that’s more for leisure time.
Have a Designated Space for Work
Working from the sofa might seem like a dream but it psychologically blurs the boundaries. Do you have a room in your home that’s immaculately set up for guests but no one actually comes to stay? Invest in yourself by turning it into a home office. A good, supportive chair and a desk is all you need to begin to create a distinct space for concentration.
Being able to close the door and walk away from work at the end of the day will do wonders for creating a key distinction between time at your job and time for yourself.
Have Set Working Hours
When your journey home is only as long as your staircase, it is easy to say ‘just five more minutes’ when trying to complete your to do list for the day. Yet, as 5 minutes turns into 30 minutes, time that should have been spent recharging and refuelling has become overtime at work. Whether it’s 9–5, 10–6 or 2–10, decide upon set working hours and stick to them, factoring in enough time to take breaks throughout the day. Set an alarm to ensure that you finish work on time and leave any unfinished tasks for the start of your working hours tomorrow.
Change Your Scenery
When you work from home, it’s easy to become stuck in the same spot for 8 hours straight, which can lead to fatigue, lack of focus and irritability. Make sure not to skip any breaks, and to get away from your designated working space for a few minutes every few hours. Sitting in the garden, taking a walk or simply looking out of the window with a cuppa during regular break times can help you to feel recharged.
Managing the Munchies
The most difficult part of working from home for some of us is the constant access to the entire contents of our kitchen cupboards. The easiest way of creating a clear distinction between home and work at mealtimes is by making yourself a packed lunch. This negates the tendency to stare longingly into the fridge and maximises the time you are able to spend relaxing during rest breaks.
Don’t Blur Boundaries
When you can see that there is laundry to do or an exciting package is delivered, it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain the boundaries between work life and personal life. Try to wait until your designated working hours are over before completing home-related tasks — just as you would if your working space was elsewhere. Similarly, try to avoid making a habit of organising personal appointments during your working day. While the occasional check-up can’t be avoided, regular disruption to your working hours will result in more time spent catching up and less time unwinding on evenings and weekends.
Say No to Others
For some people, the phrase ‘working from home’ is a synonym for ‘available for childcare’ or ‘reliable parcel recipient’. Family members and neighbours wouldn’t call by your workplace for a cup of tea during the day, so protect your time by not allowing unexpected visitors or phone calls now — it isn’t them who will spending their evenings catching up on lost work hours.
Notifications Off
You probably wouldn’t invite colleagues from work to join you on the sofa as you binge-watch your favourite shows, so why allow them to digitally? When your set working hours are over, turn off all work-related notifications on your phone or switch off any work devices. Just as you wouldn’t be available at the office, protect yourself and your personal time by making yourself unavailable digitally.
Digital Distinctions
There’s nothing worse than opening your laptop to do some internet shopping and catching sight of an important work document that you’ve accidentally left open and you know needs completing. If you enjoy using technology during your leisure time, consider creating different logins on your PC. By saving all work documents, bookmarks and software shortcuts onto a designated account, it becomes easy to create a distinct technological space for your personal time that is free from workplace reminders and triggers.
With many of us working harder and for longer hours than ever, it’s important to protect your wellbeing by drawing a clear line between your working day and your personal life at home.
About Victoria Ashurst Lloyd
Content Writer and Editor Victoria Ashurst Lloyd is an ex teacher with years of experience in the classroom. She now works remotely for Twinkl Classic, and is passionate about delivering quality support to those who teach as well as maintaining that crucial work-life balance.
