4 Work-From-Home Tips to Balance Work and Home Life

Working from home can be a tricky balance to strike. Be sure you’re getting the best of both worlds when you work from home by checking out these tips.

More and more people are doing business from their homes and it’s not hard to see why. Today’s technology and interconnectivity have made working from home easier than ever before. The good news? You can work from anywhere at any time! Of course, the bad news is that you can work from anywhere at any time.

That freedom can lead to some major time management difficulties and may end up leaving you overworked, stressed and worst of all, no time to enjoy the rest of life. Thankfully, there are a number of ways to make working from home work for you.

Here are 4 work from home tips to balance work and home life.

1. Get ready in the morning

Although waking up and getting dressed may not be your favourite activity, getting off to a good start is going to set the tone for how productive your day will be.

Avoid the trap of waking up, rolling over and thinking you’ll respond to one or two emails before you grab breakfast. Because when it comes to work, one thing tends to lead to another and it can be hard to break the flow. Start down this path and before you know it, lunch time has passed, your to-do list is longer than you’d like and you still haven’t showered.

Instead, approach the beginning of your day like you have an office job to commute to. Put on an outfit you look good in, eat a healthy breakfast and whatever you do, leave work out of it.

2. Set regular hours and stick to them

One the biggest perks of working from home is that you don’t necessarily have to stick to that 9 to 5 corporate schedule. However, that doesn’t mean that you don’t have to commit to any kind of schedule at all. People are still creatures of habit and when it comes to getting the most done, we benefit from having set times to work and set times to relax. Otherwise, if unchecked, one or the other tends to take over.

Here are some tips when it comes to setting your schedule.

• Build your schedule around yourself
  

  Kids? Then work during school hours. Tend to stay up late? Then start your day at 10 am. Aim to build a schedule that really works for you.
  
  

• Let others know what hours you’re in business
  

  That way, they’ll know when to contact you without impeding on your personal life.
  
  

• Don’t go back to work when your time is up
  

  As hard as it can be to start working, it can be even harder to stop. If you get a brilliant idea, don’t go back to work. Just save it for later.
  
  

• Give yourself quick breaks
  

  Just like you take little breaks at the office, allow yourself some regroup time. Standing up every so often for a quick break, maybe even taking a brisk walk on a treadmill.

3. Physically separate work from home

When working from home, it can be very tempting to do your work wherever you happen to be, whether that’s the kitchen table, the couch or the bed.

Instead, fight that temptation and set up a separate space to be your home office. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a whole room or even a large space. What it does need though, is to feel like and provide all the things a work space would. That means having all your resources in easy reach, having some degree of privacy and turning off the TV.

Also, be sure to make this work and home separation clear to anyone who may be in your work space during your business hours. Set boundaries for your room mates, your kids, your pets and whoever else is home so they can further enforce that separation of work life and home life.

If it’s particularly difficult to get into the work mindset, feel free to leave the house in search of greener work pastures. Whether it’s the local library or a coffee shop, moving to a place where other people are hard at work alongside you can help get your mind in the right place.

4. Make time for socialising

One of the less-than-glorious aspects of working from home is the possibility of feeling isolated. Working from home is often a very individual endeavour and it can be quite the adjustment from someone used to occasional water cooler chatter.

Not only does loneliness feel crummy, but it’s actually proven to reduce productivity, as well. So combat this by actively making time to talk to others, whether they’re friends, family or fellow business owners.

Here are some tips on staying social when working from home.

• Schedule lunch meetings
  

  Meet a coworker or someone you’re working with over lunch somewhere. Not only will you be getting out, but you’ll have some social interaction too.
  
  

• Utilise social sites
  

  Find like-minded entrepreneurs and workers-from-home on social media sites.
  
  

• Take a course
  

  Find something you’re interested in and start learning with some classmates.
  
  

• Chat with people via Zoom
  

  Unlike phonecalls, which end the second you hang up, chats can be kept open and responded to throughout the day. This can mimic the kind of casual interaction you’d have at the office.

Working from home can be very rewarding with the right balance of work and home life. By maintaining your schedule and staying disciplined, you can get the best of both worlds.

SOURCE: Volusion