- benay303
Benay Informer 02/08/2023
Work-From-Home life DO: Separate Work time and Personal time
While the state of your company is always on your mind no matter where you are - did the idea of working from home seem like a dream situation? Did you have an idyllic work-life balance situation worked out perfectly in your head?
Clear your inbox in your jammies—win!
Switch the laundry while leading your team on a conference call—um, yeah!
Finally, help your kids with homework at the same desk where you’re writing your latest Informer—yay!
It all seems so perfect and easy until that one day when the drift starts-.
Just checking email “real quick” as you stir dinner
Just finishing this one last report on weekend mornings
Just one more this or that before turning in, and the next thing you know, it’s been 3 hours, and now it’s a.m... again.
As a CEO/Owner, blurring the lines between home and work is required every once in a while, but it can also have unintended consequences when it happens regularly. The more you allow one to seep into the other, the quality of each of them begins to deteriorate. Keep your mental and physical health in mind as you read through these four ways you can reliably keep work at work, even when work happens at home.
Shut the (front) door! …on your workspace—literally. Creating a physical separation from work provides a barrier that allows you to see and feel the change in focus of your time and efforts. Depending on the setup of your home and the workspace you have set up, the “door” may be an actual door, a curtain, or even a shoji screen. No matter what you choose to use, a (stylish) bit of physical closure can go a long way.
Along with having a door to shut, you also need a repeatable time to close it and “go home.” Working (similar) hours daily creates a predictable rhythm you can start to count on. This will benefit you and your co-workers. At your pre-determined time to stop and “go home,” make sure to clear the clutter, make a to-do list for the next day, turn off your light, shut the “door,” and then go home.
Often as WFH time goes on, we begin to forget what it was like to have a commute. Though stressful, the drive home provided time to transition from work to personal time mentally. When you’re done with your work hours, consider taking a walk, going to the gym… or finally taking that shower you’ve been meaning to get to all day. This transition time will help you change your mindset.
Much like having set hours to begin and end your day, making sure to take a lunch or midday break (most days) is an excellent practice to get into. You might be tempted to “work through it” to end your day early. But how often does that actually happen? Most often, even with the best of intentions, you will probably still end your workday at the same time. This practice can surprisingly quickly lead to burnout, resentment, and a general feeling of dread throughout your entire workday.
Your business may be consistently top of mind, however, by using these four small tactics; you can better separate work and personal time. Practice leads to mastery; if your first few tries are unsuccessful, you can try again tomorrow. As you get better at shutting the door, “going home,” and taking focused lunch breaks, you will successfully protect your positivity and ultimately make the most of your work-at-home life balance.
Cheers to your success, Dawn
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"You can and should set your own limits and clearly articulate them. This takes courage, but it is also liberating and empowering, and often earns you new respect.”
—Rosalind Brewer