Last year’s pandemic had truly transformed the course of the world, including the workplace. With many companies, businesses, and industries transferring to a work-from-home format, employees find it challenging to adapt the same office functions to the comfort of their homes. Add to that their heavy, daily routines at home.
While there are comforting benefits to working remotely, there is also the age-old dilemma of achieving and maintaining a work-life balance, especially when there is no boundary between work and home life. However, despite such stressful and uncertain times, it is possible to achieve work-life balance through these practical steps:
Assign a fixed office space at home.
Your workspace at home should inhibit the same professionalism and neutrality at the office. Find an ambient space where you can concentrate. Set up a desk, PC/or laptop, and additional equipment required for work.
Ensure that your workspace is organized to prevent your personal life from meshing into your professional life. If necessary, set boundaries like house dividers or cubicle-like borders. Finally, concentrate all work energy solely on your office space.
Craft a feasible work schedule with a start and end time.
With the remote work setup, there is the luxury of handling your own time. But there’s also the challenge of time management, wherein your work tasks may mix with your home commitments to make for one unorganized timeframe.
Set a fixed work schedule, depending on your shift, with a start and end time. Monitor your productivity for each day. Treat it like regular office hours, where you also have post-workday activities as planned.
Use break times to energize and refresh yourself.
In terms of being productive at home, it helps to have the mindset that a work-from-home setup is almost the same as in an office. That goes the same from using break times in-between worktimes.
Take proper breaks for each workday: two snacks and one meal. For parents and guardians who need to cook for a limited time, be strategic in preparing healthy meals. And, if required, take short breaks to breathe.
Organize your priorities for each day, both for work and home.
It helps to list down every daily errand and commitment to keep track of fulfilling your priorities. Regardless of how many priorities are on your plate, have the vigor to accomplish them instantly to avoid procrastination.
This is most helpful for parents who have to handle their children, finish work tasks, and accomplish home errands. If fixed schedules would not help, jot down every job to know which can be flexible in terms of their urgency.
Keep open communication with friends, colleagues, and family.
Isolation can indeed be burdensome during the lockdown periods. However, it is impossible not to connect with peers when the Internet contains numerous platforms for friends and family to contact each other and meet virtually.
As a personal exercise, take a minute of your time to contact close friends, colleagues, and family. And as recommended, cultivate relationships with new people. Despite being isolated, all of us can still socialize.
Take time for physical and mental fitness.
Work-life balance is not only a personal matter but also a health matter. An overwhelming daily routine can lead to severe burnouts, both physically and mentally. Thus, it is crucial to monitor your personal fitness during isolation.
Start the day with small warm-ups. During the day, take a moment to exercise by stretching your limbs, walking around, and moving your head. Pause to take deep breathes and soothe your mind.
Inhabit a positive yet humble attitude that others can emulate.
It is undeniable that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic gave everyone a bleak outlook that interfered with people’s work and life commitments. However, it can be most helpful to present a cautious yet positive attitude.
That behavior can start with diligence in fulfilling work and life tasks efficiently. Take heart to the truth that the pandemic is not permanent. You can then impart this outlook to your family and friends.
Allot time to unwind without distractions from work.
After you set time and energy to concentrate on work, allocate a time or day in the week solely for unwinding. Concentrate that time exclusively for rest, personal hobbies, and, most especially, bonding with the family.
As mentioned, avoid meshing work to hours dedicated for life. This means avoiding checking emails while in bed, staying away from your workspace, and disconnecting from your office hardware. Learn to discipline yourself in setting priorities.
Life is a balancing act
Every employee has his/her own model of the ideal work-life balance. And the remote work setup should not alter its importance to a person’s well-being, especially during an unsettling period.
It really takes determination to prioritize every commitment in life with the same importance and heart as you had before the crisis. And there is not a need to rush on accomplishing that either professional or personal tasks.
Author Bio:
Regina de Rosario is from Booth & Partners. A Seattle-based company with operations in the Philippines. With a solid background in conducting interviews with multiple candidates to identify the one with the most potential. Hired over 100 applicants for positions in dozens of industries and campaigns, at levels ranging from interns to upper-level management.
