If you work from home as an employee in a company or as an entrepreneur, chances are you already know that you’re really pulling “double duty”. You probably work on your business task while doing the laundry, corralling the kids, or fixing dinner… and let’s not forget all the phone calls from family and friends expecting you to run errands or just “go out” for an afternoon of fun.
One of the hardest parts of working from home is separating your work from your family and social life. However, if you master it, you will have less stress, greater productivity, greater job fulfillment, and a happier outlook on your career. Here are six ways to keep your home life running smoothly while keeping your corporate life on track.
- Schedule Your Day
- First, you have to first show up for yourself ensure that your mental and physical health is on par. If that is left unbalanced, how do you expect your work-life balance to fair? That is the foundation. Create a work schedule and stick with it. Know what your priorities are and what you plan to accomplish each day. This sets the tone for focus. It may be tempting to answer personal calls during the day or take business calls after-hours, but doing this actually shows that you’re expendable – not dependable – and people will take for granted that you’ll “always be there” for any little things that come up. Even though family comes first, stay true to your work hours and resist the urge to chat with friends or pick up groceries during working hours.
- Structure Your Social Time
- Our friends may consider “working from home” an invitation to chat during the day or just go out for coffee or shopping for an afternoon. Make it clear that your business hours are just that – for business. Leave personal calls for after-hours, and you’ll find that your friends will gradually accept your schedule without feeling slighted. You can utilize your lunch break as social time and two 15-20 minute am/pm mental health breaks to catch up quickly with others.
- Optimize Your Work Time
- Just because you have to set up a work schedule, doesn’t mean that you have to keep the same hours as everyone else. One of the benefits of remote work is setting your own hours to fit your most productive times. Whether you’re an early bird or a night owl, you’ll find that you’ll get much more done when you’re attuned to your body’s own natural rhythms. Some people work in the morning, take a break in the afternoon when the kids are home from school, and work again in the evening. Schedule your work time when you feel the most productive and you’ll find that things get done easier, faster and better than when you were dragging along during those same rigid work hours that everyone else has.
- Have Clear Cut-offs
- If getting after-hours business calls or workday personal calls is a problem, it helps to have a separate business cell phone or at least voicemail set up to take the incoming calls. This also helps maintain more professional appearance to clients and colleagues. Also, if there are clear times during each day that you are doing “deep work” make sure you schedule that on your calendar. If you do not check or respond to emails after a certain point in the day, or accept private chat messages, you can set an away message indicating you will get back to them shortly. Everyone that screams “Me Now, Me Now” deserves your attention.
- Set the Stage
- Dress and act professionally while working. Although are you working from home, you have to create an ambience that mimics the working environment. For me I still wake up and get dressed. There is something about laying in my pj’s all day and working in bed that does not inspire me to work too long. That also means separating my “home office” from the rest of your home. If you don’t have the luxury of a separate room, a room partition or screen can be just as helpful. This also serves as a visual cue to the family that you’re working and shouldn’t be bothered.
- Curate the Right Social Media
- I am not one to say no social media at all! In fact, I see it as a tool if used appropriately. If you insist on using social media, use a business-based social networking platform to help you do one of three things: collaborate, network, or perform research on the work you are currently engaged. It is way too easy to get sucked into the bowels of Tiktok, dreamy Instagram reels about digital nomads living the 4hr work week from the French Riveria and Facebook PSA’s from everyone. Just say no.
- Invest in the Right Tools to Keep You Focused
- In our latest article, we discussed the Pomodoro Technique. We also learned that Amazon’s Alexa can keep you abreast of your schedule and what is coming up on your calendar. You can even use it to set a Pomodoro timer if needed! You can even send a verbal message to other’s cell so you do not need to interrupt the flow of your work. Use technology to your advantage. Stay focused. Stay Productive.
