How to improve work-life balance working remotely?

It’s been a long time since the global COVID-19 pandemic began. It has influenced many aspects of our daily life: physical and mental health, leisure activities, work style, family, and social relationships. All these concepts can be combined into one whole, calling it work-life balance. Many specialists and employees change their positions in the office to an apartment and start working remotely. For some, it is the perfect solution, as it has many advantages. For others, it is not necessarily a favorite form of work because it also has a lot of disadvantages. In this article, you’ll learn how to balance remote work and private life.

What is work-life balance and why is it important?

Work-life balance is a term that describes the ability to maintain a balance between the work and personal life of an employee. Thanks to this method, the employee has the opportunity to work effectively while taking care of his health and mental condition, after-work hobbies, family, and social contacts. Lack of this skill can harm the level of stress, sense of lack of control over work and home duties, and productivity. Often, remote workers feel that working from home makes it easier for them to keep their work-life balance.

How to introduce work-life balance?

If you have not introduced work-life balance to your everyday life, you need to learn some useful tips and tricks. You will surely quickly notice the differences in the quality of your work and rest. Your body will thank you for it, and certainly your family as well.

1. Adhere strictly to the work schedule.

When working remotely, you should initially define your working hours and those in which you are available to your coworkers. Thanks to this solution, your coworkers will know when they can turn to you, and you will have space to plan your private events after work. It is worth adding that the work should last an appropriate amount of time and start and end at about the same time every day. This will allow your body to regulate and get used to a certain pattern.

Such a schedule should be included in all communication tools. Especially if your coworkers work from other parts of the world and in other time zones, they will be able to easily check when you are available professionally using the communicator and the setting status.  

2. Tools that will facilitate the work

In the previous point, we mentioned informing people via the working hours status on communication tools. For example, Slack has such a function. In the settings of such applications, it is also worth looking for the possibility of blocking notifications when you are already past working hours. This solution will make sure that your colleagues or boss won’t bother you in your free time by giving you tasks or orders. You can put your working hours into a tool like Google Calendar or Zoom, and when those hours are over, it will automatically turn down meeting requests.

3. Productive breaks between tasks at work

Remote work has many advantages and disadvantages. Surely, working from home makes it possible to be more productive – the time you would spend traveling to and from the office can be spent on work. Additionally, there are theoretically fewer distractions at home in the form of conversations and joint breaks with colleagues. Nevertheless, the breaks between work are very important and should be kept in mind.

Working remotely, you can combine business with pleasure and break away from the computer, giving your eyes and spine a rest and at the same time dealing with important private things. Instead of a break that you would spend on coffee and gossip in the office, you can jump to the post office, go shopping, or cook dinner during this time, thanks to which you will be able to spend your free time after work on only pleasant activities.

4. Modify the space

Remote work at home, i.e. in the same space where you live daily, can turn out to be very tiring. This situation may give you the feeling that you are constantly at work, even when you turn off your computer and business phone. Be sure to designate a small space in your apartment intended only for work, or find a nice café near your house where you can sit. Remember that the place where you rest should not be associated with work. You must stick to your schedule and your agreed-upon free time plans. When working at home, try to spend your time actively – on a walk, with friends, on a trip, or training.

5. Workplace mental preparation

Working from home, we often use the time we would normally travel to the office for extra sleep in the morning. It’s better to get up early and get ready for the workday in the standard way: shower, get dressed, eat breakfast, and drink coffee. Working all day in pajamas gives a sense of monotony and lack of progress, and additionally puts you in a sleepy mood. By treating work from home like working from an office, the mental attitude is better, and therefore the results are also better. Your work life will be more enjoyable. You will improve your well-being and prevent burnout with job satisfaction.

6. Maintain order

It may seem trivial, but a clean space has a very positive effect on the productivity and quality of the work performed. Make sure that the apartment is tidy so that you are not distracted by the mess and think that it would be worth cleaning it up. Ventilate the apartment as often as you can. To make you feel even more comfortable, take advantage of good natural light and space on the desk. Being surrounded by nice and clean things is a much better workspace. You can arrange background music to help you focus and care about the organization.

Remote work can be your ally in introducing better work-life balance

The home office has many advantages – you can work when you want and from any place on earth you want. You can work in your comfortable place and save a lot of time. Effective remote work brings many benefits for the company, for you, and your relatives, so it’s worth trying to get a work-life balance. Make sure your life is in harmony or try to implement this advice. If you are the boss, remember to take care of your employees’ work. In one of our posts, you can find out how to support remote workers in their work. A well-rested, unworked, relaxed employee brings the best profit for the company.