It’s likely that some of us have extra time these days due to a shorter commute into the office. You may find yourself using the extra time to work longer hours, stretching the day out. It may also be difficult to find a good break between home life and work life, finding a blending of the two. A good balance is needed, particularly while working remotely so it doesn’t feel like you never leave work. Everyone needs breaks, brief periods of rest and relaxation to maintain good health; mental is just as important as physical health.
Several pieces of advice came up in nearly every article on this topic. The most frequently stated with some variation: Set a schedule, maintain set working hours.
For advice on how to stick to the schedule when there are other distractions, such as young kids, there were a few ideas that stuck out:
- Tell everyone in your house your schedule.
- Make breaks part of the schedule.
- Use sticky notes or some sign near your work area that says when you will next be available.
To start your day, act like you are going to work, if possible:
- Leave your house and walk around the block.
- When you come in your door, go straight to your work area.
- The same with the end of the day, turn off the computer, leave the house and walk around the neighborhood.
- It might help to reverse directions, if you can, for your commute home.
Establish a designated work area helps separate work from home. During this time of remote work use that space as your working office, and go there only during your working hours.
At the end of the day, turn off notifications or other alerts that are work related.
Create an end of the day routine that helps your mind recognize that the work day is over. This can be a small task, such as making a to-do list for the next day, delete unnecessary emails, or organize and clean your work area. What you do doesn’t matter as long as you’re consistent in your end of day routine. This keys your brain into realizing work is done and it’s time to relax.
Ending the day, or not extending it until you go to sleep, may be a difficult task with remote working. But this is important to step away from work, take mental breaks, find time to relax, and do some physical activity.
Following are a few articles with more ideas and tips. Please note the last article was written before this time of social distancing.
Archana says
March 31, 2020 at 2:33 pmGreat Tips, thanks for sharing 🙂