How is working from home or the hybrid model working for you?

More of us are working from home or in a hybrid model, with some days in the office and some days out of it. Working from home has some well know perks;  avoiding traffic, saving time on the commute, and more freedom to work how you want. It can also mean it’s difficult to switch off at the end of the day. So how do we maintain an efficient work/life balance when our work is spilling over into our home life?[EB1] 

Strategies for maintaining balance

Here are some strategies for maintaining a healthy work/life balance when working from home:

1. Set regular hours and stick to them. Just because you’re working from home doesn’t mean you can perform all hours of the day and night. Set regular hours that you will work and stick to them. This will help you to maintain a healthy work/life balance.
2. Take breaks. Working from home makes it easy to get caught up in your work and forget to take breaks. Make sure to take breaks throughout the day, even if it’s just for a few minutes. Get up and stretch, take a walk, or step away from your work to clear your head. Don’t forget to stop and eat your lunch!
3. Set boundaries with family and friends. Setting boundaries with family and friends can be difficult when working from home. Let them know when you’re working and when you’re available to talk or spend time with them. This will help to avoid any conflict or feelings of guilt.
4. Make time for yourself. Just because you’re working from home doesn’t mean you have to work all the time. When you work from home, it’s easy to keep going until you’re completely exhausted. Make sure you schedule some time each day, even if it’s just half an hour, to do something that’s just for you. This could be reading, taking a walk, or just spending ten minutes in the sunshine to recharge your batteries.
5. Set up a specific workspace. It can be tempting to work from your sofa or bed, but it makes it harder to switch off at the end of the day. Set up a workspace and work from it. It doesn’t have to be the same as your office space would have looked; you can customise it to your needs and make it comfortable. The important thing is that once you walk away from it at the end of the day, you’re no longer at work; you’re at home.
6. Change your clothes. Much like the above tip, setting a physical boundary between work life and home life is essential. You don’t need to sit at home in a suit and tie but think about how you feel after spending all day in your pyjamas. The first day might feel great, but after the 3rd or 4th, you start feeling like you’re not doing anything with your day. Get changed into something comfortable but presentable; it’ll make a world of difference to how you feel. If at the end of a work day you would ‘normally’ change out of your work clothes into your casual clothes then do this when working from home. It can be a good symbol for you that you are no longer the ‘at work’ version of yourself, now you are ‘at home’ you and off the clock.
7. Stick to your hours. Don’t be tempted to run over if you don’t need to or to split up your day too differently from what you’d do in the office. It’s easy to work all day and into the evening when you’re home, but that quickly leads to burnout.

At Elevate Wellbeing, our workshops provide professional, evidence-based information, practical strategies, and resources for you and your organisation. Please get in touch with us here today for further information or to discuss how we can best support and strengthen your team. Or, if you would like to see more content from us, follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn.

 [EB1]Nice intro, it’s conversational and engaging