(DailyVibe) – Working from home offers innumerable challenges. It can be difficult to be productive in a space more commonly associated with rest. Finding balance when working from home often involves making a concrete plan and sticking to it. By putting a few simple guidelines in place, we can make dedicated time for both work and rest in our homes.
Make a Dedicated Office Space
Start by setting aside a specific office space in the home where work is to be done. By creating an office space, distractions are reduced, and focus can be improved. It also sets a boundary for any other members of the household.
Make a Work Schedule
When working from home, it’s important to set hours — even if we work for ourselves. By tracking our hours, we may even find that we are working more than necessary. Setting office hours and creating a work schedule can help us separate work time from personal time.
Take Periodic Breaks
Taking frequent breaks throughout the day can improve performance and reduce stress. When working from home, setting aside time for breaks is even more important to help boost productivity and morale. We can have a snack, take a walk, or even take time for a short meditation to get the most out of our break time.
Set Boundaries around Interruptions
Working from home can blur the boundaries for others. If we’re home, it may seem as if we are available to chat. By setting boundaries around our work time, we can reduce interruptions.
While we cannot always silence our phones due to the need to use them for work communication, we can ask friends and family members not to call or message during work times. Those simultaneously caring for a child or elder in the home, or who may have household members also working from home, may need to set schedules and provide clear guidelines for availability throughout the day.
Minimize Social Media Use
Researchers have found that social media can be an added stressor. This stress mainly comes from being exposed to other people’s bad news. To be able to find a balance when working from home, keep social media scrolling to a minimum.
For entrepreneurs, consider scheduling social media posts ahead of time. This reduces the pressure to source and post content throughout the day and frees up time for entrepreneurs to manage their pages instead. Scheduling a week or a month of posts can help with balancing time spent on social media.
Working from home can be a challenge, but making intentional choices can help us find balance. By separating our work space from our recreational space, scheduling our work and break times, and being clear about our boundaries, we can be productive without burning out or becoming distracted.
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