In a world that is increasingly work from home, you may need ideas how to maintain work-life balance remotely. You want to make sure that you’re effective at your job but don’t let it become an unwelcome guest in your home.
A survey from AT&T found the hybrid work from home model, is expected to grow from 42% (2021) to 81% (2024). During this transition, you may want to consider how your can maximize your performance in this new working world.
Not long ago, I held a LinkedIn poll on how to maintain work-life balance remotely. Here were the choices and the results:
- Designated workspace: 45%
- Create Routines: 40%
- Clear shut down time: 14%
- Hide under covers: 2%
Let’s review each option and see if some may inspire you to improve your remote work-life balance.
Designated Workspace
You have a specific place where you perform your job from home. It does not change every other day. This way, you don’t waste time getting organized and comfortable with a different area.
Space restrictions may see you work from the kitchen table. Others may have a special room that becomes a home office.
The advantage of the home office is that you don’t have to set things up and take them down every day. It can also create a psychological barrier, where just a section of your home is about work.
There are exceptions to every rule. On a nice spring day, you may want to work outside on your patio. While this can be an energizing change of scenery, make sure it does not distract you from your job.
Create Routines
While every job has some unpredictable moments, embrace routines that help you perform at your best. Sometimes this is about when you feel you’re at your highest performance level. During these times, tackle big projects and not menial work.
If reoccurring interruptions from colleagues are a problem, consider setting up check-in times with those people. This way the interruptions become predictable and multiple questions can be answered at once.
Keep in mind that any new routine may require some adjustment down the road. Think of improving work-life balance remotely as a journey and not a destination.
Clear Shut Down Time
When you find yourself living at your job, it an be easy to go back into work mode, whenever you think of something. Try to have a clearly defined quitting time. Maybe you set a daily alarm.
For those who have a home office, that may involve shutting a door, when you’re done. Another thing that can help you end your work day is to have some activity that you enjoy that happens when you log off from your job.
It’s really tempting to do one more thing, when it occurs to you in the moment. But I’ve found in most cases those tasks could have waited until the next day.
The Funny Choice on How To Maintain Work-Life Balance Remotely
I find with polls it can be good to include an option that is humorous and hiding under the covers might give some a chuckle. But if you resonate with that response, it might be a serious sign that some changes are needed.
Some people don’t perform as well, when working virtually. They may miss in-person collaborations from colleagues or become energized though workplace interactions. And a few may find too many distractions in their homes, hurts productivity.
If this sounds and feels familiar, then you may want to look for a position that puts you back in the office more or all the time. It’s also possible that you like things like a commute as a way to separate your work and home lives.
Let’s Create a Memorable Meeting
