It can be hard to separate work from personal – especially when your home is also the place where you work.
How do you manage keeping office hours and keep the little ones entertained and the chores done?
Things like boundaries seem impossible when your office is the same place you sleep, eat, and play.
But the good news is, you can establish a few good practices that will help you remember there is more to life than work.
Even better, you can learn a few tricks to help you maintain work/life balance while doing both under the same roof.
Keep Office Hours
When you work outside of the home, there is a clear expectation of what office hours entail – a start and end time.
But when you work from home, it can be tempting to sneak into your home office late at night and work on a project.
After all – your office is right there.
Don’t do it unless it is a work emergency!
Blurring the hours between work and play can make it seem like all you do is work which is why it is crucial you designate a specific time of day for work.
This also means making it a point to avoid outside distractions such as running errands during working hours – what starts off as a “quick trip to the store” can set you back hours and force you to work into the evening.
Designate A Work Area
To help separate your work from your personal life, have a specific spot in your house reserved for work.
It doesn’t need to be an entire room for an office — although if you have the space go for it!
But if not, it could be something as simple as a desk, or even a foldup table in a corner.
In your designated space – keep it work-focused.
If you are working all over your home – like reading emails from bed or working from your couch – it can be really tough to keep work separate because every area will remind you of work.
Often times work can be stressful, and the last thing you want in your bedroom while you are trying to sleep is stress about work!
Make Sure Your Family And Friends Know The Rules
Some people mistakenly think if you work from home that you really aren’t “working” and have time to do other things.
However, nothing could be further from the truth.
Make sure your family knows when mom is working – she is not to be disturbed unless it is an emergency.
If you need a nanny or a sitter to tackle a few major work projects – then do it.
And makes sure you set boundaries with friends and family – just because your car is in the driveway doesn’t mean mom gets to drop in whenever she wants.
Whether you need to close the door or put up a do not disturb sign – make sure you do what you need to do in order to get your work done.
And yes, this means that you aren’t necessarily “free” to do random things for people throughout the day because you are “home.”
The good news is, with many people experiencing the work from home lifestyle due to COVID-19 – they have a new respect for those of us that have been doing it for years!
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