Harnessing work/life balance while WFH

For many, working from home is the new norm. While it started as an emergency measure during the pandemic, many companies have realized that their employees are, indeed, more productive while WFH.

WFH certainly has its perks; wearing your favorite leggings, cooking a healthy lunch every day… WFH can be comfortable and helps you save money. Yet, finding the ideal balance between your work and home lives can be difficult. It’s hard to “turn off” your workday to transition to your home life when everything fits into the same environment.

Check out the lessons we have learned while working from home (we’ve been virtual since 2014) to optimize our productivity, improve our concentration levels, and balance the home/work relationship to conquer this new normal.

Find Your Own Space

For most of us, arriving at the office marked the beginning of the workday. It automatically made our brain go into work mode, making it easier to achieve the concentration necessary to meet the goals set for each day.

At home, it is a good idea to set a dedicated space in which to work. If it can’t be a whole room, define a place that allows you to work comfortably, as it will be your workplace for the near future.

The situation is even more complex if you must share where you work with other family members. Set some boundaries so your household doesn’t turn into chaos. Scheduling quality family time at the end of the day is great way to keep things running smoothly.

Take Breaks

One of the most important things to make WFH work for you is to respect the work schedule as if you were in the office – including organizing breaks and lunch hours in the same way.

It’s nice to have a routine when you work from home, but work shouldn’t get monotonous. Don’t stay glued to the computer screen all day. It is important to take regular breaks, get up from your desk, and move around like you would in an office.

Focus, Focus, Focus

The stimuli in a home are not the same as those in the workplace. Be very careful with this. It is very easy to get distracted by what surrounds us at home and even overlap home tasks with work tasks.

Close all social networks, except the ones that are used to work. If possible, leave the cell phone out of reach and close all browser tabs you are not using. Being at home, television can also be an attractive distraction. Find the balance that will allow you to keep your work in focus.

Talk to You Tomorrow

Establish a set time to turn off work. With the convenience of WFH, it’s easy to go into overtime without even realizing it. To avoid this, set a time to signal the end of your day, turn off the computer and get up from your workspace (or clean up the dining room table if that’s where you’re set up).

While working from home can be rewarding, it’s important to remember to harness a work/life balance that works for you.