Where does work end and your life begin? Since the pandemic hit us all worldwide, many have transformed their homes to their new office. Employees do their projects at home and business owners run their businesses from home now. Doing so leaves us with a problem: We get stuck to never really leaving work, since we are at home. Resisting that tendency by setting and maintaining ground rules that work for you and your work. You run your business and your life, don’t let it run you.
Ground Rule # 1 – DECIDE WHAT WORK/LIFE BALANCE MEANS FOR YOU
It’s about developing clarity on what work/life balance is for you. Is it the traditional 9 to 5? Is it crunching everything into 3 solid focused highly productive hours (me from 9 to 12nn)? What does your business, finances and other personal commitments need? Plot it down in a daily calendar for you. Time to put that planner into good use my friend.
Ground Rule # 2 – SET PHYSICAL BOUNDARIES
Making sure you are working at home, not living in your office. If you do have space to separate both, make sure to identify at dedicated work area at home. Otherwise, put your laptop/desktop/work phone away at the end of the day so you can seamlessly transition to home mode. Do not work where you sleep, or you will end up in bed not being able to identify if you’re going to sleep or work on your next proposal. And with that, don’t sleep on your work chair. If you need to take a power nap, do it in your bedroom.
Ground Rule # 3 – SET CLIENT BOUNDARIES
A simple reminder: YOU RUN YOUR BUSINESS. If you don’t want to take client calls in the evening (or past your work committed hours) or over the weekend, then don’t. You are responsible for defending what boundaries you have set.
Ground Rule # 4 – CREATE A SCHEDULE & STICK WITH IT
How many hours do you intend to work and what time do you want to start? What time do you wrap up? When do you take 15 and 30 minute breaks? When do you stop checking email replies at night? Create a start to end day routine and be disciplined enough to follow it. Consistency is king here to be successful. Consistency creates discipline always.
Ground Rule # 5- COORDINATE WELL
Being a good person means coordinating your new schedule with your loved ones such as your partner, spouse, parents, siblings, friends, etc. Give importance to nurturing your relationships by giving them the attention they deserve. We work to live, never live to work. Make it part of your routine to give time to your loved ones.
PRO TIP: Working from home can help you move easily from your schedule to accommodate your highest productivity hours. If you’re the early bird, start work early to take advantage of a peak in your energy. (Refer to my previous blog on 8 simple productivity habits). If you work at night, feel free to work later on during the day.
Question of the day: Do you prefer working from home, working at the office or half/half?
December 14, 2020 Author Khel Lawrence
For me, I really prefer working in the office. I do not want to work from home because for me, work should be done in the workplace. At home, you should be able to relax and not do anything.
I am a part of the academe. It is hard for me to balance my work and home duties. It feels as though my work now is 24/7 because my students keeps on messaging me in the middle of the night asking me for advises on the tasks or lessons.
December 18, 2020 Author Joseph
I prefer working in the office because i can have more focus. There’s a lot of distraction at home and the environment is not conducive to learning. I want to have my own office someday that I can work well for my future career.
December 19, 2020 Author Mike Ulep
It is all about a balance of both, it could also depends on the purpose and convenience as well. I have some friends who have been working from home even before the pandemic. WFH truly have its own benefits, like you don’t have to worry about traffic jams, uniforms/attires, expected paper works at the office, etc. It has its own flaws as well, such as the environment is not conducive for a work (i.e. when you see your bed, you can easily get distracted and just want to lie down and relax) family members could annoy you, you do not have any privacy, etc.
January 11, 2021 Author rhona
I prefer working from home because of flexibility. I am able to throw in an errand or small task here and there. I would simply extend my work end time when I do that. Previously, I would have to wait until I get home from work to do it; now I can get things done right away and that removes a lot of stress off my shoulders.
January 11, 2021 Author edward
I like working from home most of the times because i will not commute. This benefits me in many ways, more than just unproductive time in a car. I don’t have to stop at the gas station and pay for gas. I don’t have to dress up for work and pay for new work clothes. I don’t have to maintain my car as much and pay for the repairs or take time out of my evenings or weekends to fix things myself.
January 11, 2021 Author Anton
My dream is to someday work from home.
I’ve worked from home previously but not full-time, which is what I prefer. When I worked from home the benefit was that I was much happier in my work because:
I could work comfortably – in my choice of clothing, at a decent room temperature, in my own chair.
I didn’t have to share a desk or drawers
I didn’t have to drive to work, I just sat down, and worked.