Working from home makes maintaining boundaries between business and personal life difficult. Therefore, you may feel that your job obligations are continuously calling out to you, leading to feelings of stress, frustration, and burnout. So, how can you separate work from personal life if you’re working remotely? If this question is on your mind, this guide is perfect for you! So, let’s get into it!
Why you should do it
You often hear about the term work-life balance. However, when you are working remotely, this kind of balance is tough to achieve. Keeping a healthy work-life balance requires maintaining a positive attitude toward both job and personal life. Distractions are minimized, and a natural state of flow is reached when one feels relaxed and productive. Your free time should be when you can completely disconnect from work. No matter if you spend your free time in the home library alone or outside having drinks with friends. If you can separate work from personal life, you can devote your attention to your loved ones and your interests without any of the worries or burdens associated with your job weighing you down. Here are some ways to strike that perfect balance.
Have a morning routine
Avoid the temptation to go for the computer as soon as you open your eyes or, even worse, to bring it to bed. No, not even to finish one final small task! This can lead you to get overwhelmed from the get-go. When you get sucked in at 6 or 7 in the morning, you won’t realize how many hours you’ve worked until 4 or 5 in the afternoon. Put up that kind of effort every day for a week, and you’ll eventually get exhausted.
Avoid jumping right into work by engaging in a morning routine before turning on your computer. Take your time getting dressed, or better yet, just go somewhere. Getting a cup of coffee from across the street or going to the gym before starting your job will offer you a break before you’re thrown headfirst into whatever the day has in store for you. This is an incredibly effective tactic for digital nomads who want to stay productive. Get out, do a little bit of exploring, then get to work!
Have a working area
Few people have the luxury of a separate room when working from home. If you have this luxury, make the most of it. Make sure to get things done while you’re there and to leave the workplace when you’re done.
Create a workspace if you don’t have an office or if you move a lot and don’t want to commit to an office. This is of the best tips for people who move frequently and want to do it efficiently. The space you create doesn’t need to be the actual location from where you do all of your daily work, like the dining room table or the couch. Instead, it might serve as a location to put things relevant to your job when you’re not at work.
When you’re not working, it’s best to hide the computer, stacks of documents, and other signs of your occupation as far as possible. Hide them away in a box or a closet. Simply putting them away sends a message to your brain that it’s okay to unwind and enjoy your free time without worrying about them.
Have boundaries
Employees’ friends and family members also need time to adjust to working from home. It’s a massive shift for clients or bosses who may not be good with limits and think they can get in touch with you whenever they want. They’re indeed the ones in “control,” but you still get a say in your schedule.
Tell your clients or boss when you’ll be available to work and when you’ll need to clock off each day. If you have made plans to limit your electronic device use after work, now is the time to put those plans into action by shutting off all of your gadgets. That way, you may avoid the temptation to engage in a fruitless back-and-forth with an annoying boss or customer.
Stick to a schedule
Even while working from home gives you more freedom to choose your hours and office decor, it’s still important to have a set beginning and end to each workday. Having a regular time to end your workday can help you transition out of work mode and into leisure mode.
Don’t forget to take a lunch break and schedule breaks throughout the day. Keep in mind that it may be counterproductive to try to work nonstop. It’s easy to lose focus and make unnecessary mistakes when your mind is exhausted. Whenever you feel this occurring, it’s a good idea to take a brief break to clear your head and get back to work with a fresh perspective.
Create a fake commute
For many people, the daily commute is the only thing that helps them mentally prepare for the change from work to home. Physical distance can help us build mental space, whether we’re listening to a podcast on a train journey or the radio in the car on the way to work.
Therefore, you may find it useful to simulate a commute, at least in theory. Performing a routine activity, such as going for a stroll around the block every morning before you start work, can help your brain transition from “home” to “work” more smoothly.
Final words
It is especially crucial separate work from personal life when your workplace is also your home. Negative effects on your emotional well-being, physical health, relationships, and work performance might result from letting these two worlds merge. Create and maintain the good boundaries necessary for a productive work-life balance. You can adjust your phone, rearrange your work and leisure spaces, and schedule time for socializing and rest. Applying these strategies for delineating professional and personal time can help you better balance the two realms of your life.