Is Work-From-Home Threatening Work-Life Balance?
Maybe we can do something about that
While the world-at-large deals with the current COVID-19 crisis, it’s been an absolute relief that technology has reached a point where working from home is a viable option for many people.
Just the same, is working from home doing damage to your work-life balance?
That may be the case.
The problem with working from home
Most people working from home right now are doing so for the first time. This is terra incognita.
When our living space and workspace are at separate (and likely distant) locations, it’s very easy to compartmentalize our work selves away from our non-work selves and maintain a healthy or at least manageable work-life balance. When work and living spaces combine, however, that balance can be thrown off.
Many people are finding that they are often working more hours at home than they had at the office. It’s somewhat understandable. While the world deals with COVID-19, there is a lot of uncertainty and anxiety going around. It’s particularly tough for Americans and other people in countries with weak or nonexistent safety nets. A missed paycheck could mean no food or no medicine. It could mean a loss of utilities or even loss of home.
No wonder people are scared.
The good news is that it doesn’t have to be that way.
What you can do to preserve your balance
There are things you can do to protect your work-life balance. Some may seem like a challenge at first, but with practice, taking these suggestions to heart will serve you in the long run.
Pace yourself
It’s tempting to try and prove yourself to your boss, your coworkers, or even yourself that not only do you have this whole work-from-home thing in the bag but that you’ve become a productivity powerhouse in the process.
Take a moment to reconsider.
If you try to do too much at once, you’re going to burn out. This isn’t a sprint. This is more of a marathon. Stick to what your typical output would be on a traditional workday and leave it at that. You may find over time that you can produce more, but let that come naturally. Don’t try to be a powerhouse right out of the gate. Find the pace that works best for you and don’t overdo it.
Establish boundaries
If at all possible while working from home, work someplace that is set apart from the rest of the household. Set up your temporary workspace somewhere that has little foot traffic and is away from the noise and activities of others in your home. If you live alone, you should still try to pick a spot in your home that is for work and nothing else. When you’re not working, stay away from your temporary workspace. Pretend it’s in another town.
Try to get other people in your house to respect those boundaries as well. Assure them that while you take your work time seriously, you also take them seriously and that when your workday ends, your friends and family are now what get your attention.
Don’t compare your output to others
This is especially true if you’ve been scrolling through Twitter or Instagram and see fellow work-from-home warriors talking about how much they got done before breakfast and how they’re on track to triple that by lunch which they are skipping so they can do some more work while balancing their laptop on the Nordic Track for half an hour.
It’s most likely a bullshit claim. Maybe they’re trying to work themselves up. Maybe they’re trying to impress a boss or coworker they think might be checking in on them. Maybe they’re just trying to impress you — a passing Internet acquaintance.
For whatever the reason, don’t measure your productivity against someone else’s. That way lies madness.
Further suggestions to maintain work-life balance
- Stick to a schedule. If your “normal” workday ended at five, stop working at five. Claim your personal time whether it be for family, friends or just yourself. Avoid the temptation to work late.
- When you’re not working, seek out some face time with other human beings. Ideally, this would be the people you live with. If you live alone, make use of the plethora of video conferencing services available now. Maybe seek out a group chat with friends, or try playing some games over video. (Online games are fine to a degree, but try to find ones in which you actually see another human face.)
- Take regular breaks during your workday. Most people don’t sit at their desks at work all day long. They get up and move around, hit the break room, grab a coffee, briefly chat with a work friend. Remember to do something similar while working from home.
- Make your downtime about more than doing chores, playing video games or binge-watching TV. If the weather is nice, take a walk if you don’t live in a crowded area. Or do something in your yard. If these aren’t options, read a book, write in a journal, or phone a friend or relative.
- Do you have a hobby? Amazon and many other online retailers are still fulfilling orders. Waits might be a little longer, but you still have an opportunity to indulge in your hobbies. While many businesses are closed or have reduced hours, many are offering curbside pickup service. Call around your area to see what’s available.
- Don’t order delivery for every dinner. Make it yourself once in a while. If possible, make dinner alongside family or friends and turn it into a cooperative act.
- Do not check your work email during downtime. If you have a company-issued phone, turn it off (unless you’re specifically on-call). Turn off your work computer. It will all still be there in the morning.
- Unless your work-from-home job specifically calls for weekend hours, treat your weekends as sacrosanct. Make the weekends aggressively yours alone.
The option of working from home has been a boon to many people who might have otherwise been laid off or furloughed. That said, it’s just a job. You work to live, not live to work. You don’t owe anyone — even your employer — more of your time than would be expected under any other circumstances.
Don’t get carried away working from home. It may take some trial and error but preserve and protect your personal time. Things are very weird and stressful right now. There’s no reason to make your life more stressful than it already is.
Thank you for reading. I’d love to share more with you via my Weekly Word Roundup newsletter sent to subscribers every Sunday. It will feature news, productivity tips, life hacks, and links to top stories making the rounds on the Internet. You can unsubscribe at any time!
