“Don’t get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.”
– Dolly Parton
A work-life balance is a delicate exchange between work-related tasks and the extra “change on life” spent beyond the screen. After working hours an ideal activity would be doing something that nourishes us as people. This could look like a social outing, doing something active, or simply relishing in relaxation. However, with a skyrocketing number of professionals working from home the boundaries between personal life and work can become blurred… Leaving some feeling like the 9-6 is neverending.
The most popular remote workspace is the home office because it allows for convenience and comfort. Yet, some research suggests that sometimes working from home just doesn’t work out. 61% of remote workers now find it more difficult to unplug from work during off-hours. (Baruffati, 2023) Even for professionals that thrive working from home, it is important to distinguish healthy parameters for well-being.
Creating an optimal work-life balance starts by setting new boundaries and routines that will allow you to separate your professional life from your personal life.
Here are 3 easy tips on how to get started.
Establish Your WorkSpace
Create a dedicated space within your home and solely use it as a workspace. Things can get a little messy when your dining room table becomes your workstation…quite literally. Establishing an area within your home to work that is not a “living area” is extremely important. This will help your brain to differentiate emotions and actions like relaxation or focus that take place in the associated areas.
Stick to a Routine
Create a routine that will help you to stay organized and feel more in control of your schedule. Setting a daily agenda could consist of establishing focus times for you to hone in on responding to emails or completing other tasks. This will help with prioritizing day-to-day work-loads.
Set Healthy Boundaries
Working from home can often make professionals feel as though they need to be available 24/7. This can put a strain on mental and physical health. This is why setting boundaries between working hours and nonworking hours is critical. Simply establish the hours you are available and make sure that your co-workers have visibility. If you need additional support with this be sure to shut off your laptop and silence notifications.
Achieving harmony between schedules can offer both a successful career and a rich personal life. Even for those of us that LOVE our jobs, it is still important to remember that there will always be more work available… Relishing in moments with family, friends, and even with ourselves are lifetime memories that feed our sense of wellness. In turn, engaging in non-work related activities can help reduce the risk of burnout and increase productivity and happiness in one’s work life.
At VEL, the 9-6 is dead and we killed it. Our premium work cafe provides the comforts of a home office by offering the latest technologies, and ergonomic products, and allowing for privacy in our state-of-the-art workstations. Take a break from the same walls you look at 24/7 and let someone else take care of YOU. We’ll provide the perfect workspace and a cup of what gets you in the flow so you can achieve twice as much in half the time and spend the change on life enjoying other passions… beyond the screen!
