While working remotely has various advantages, it has many new challenges too. Maintaining a work-life balance is far more difficult when the line between work and leisure is blurred. Additionally, spending most of your time indoors, sitting in front of a laptop screen poses various health issues.
On the bright side, individuals now have greater control over their time and schedules. What’s important is to know how to effectively manage time and maintain proper mental and physical health.
Here are a few tips to get you started:
1. Have a Schedule
According to research, 45% of workers who regularly work from home reported working longer hours than before and even working on weekends. This has led to many individuals facing increased levels of stress and burnout.
To overcome this, it really helps to have a schedule and stick to it. It all starts with sleeping and waking up at the same time to establish your circadian rhythm. This allows you to be more productive during the day and complete tasks on time. Additionally, imposing a hard stop on work will motivate you to complete tasks on time and overcome procrastination.
Remember, working from home does not mean working all the time. Self-discipline is key to ensuring a good work-life balance.
2. Design an Amazing Work Station
The idea of working from your couch might sound entertaining at first. However, neck and back pain is a common complaint among those working from home. Having a dedicated workstation can help you overcome muscular pain and focus better. Some workstation essentials include:
● A sturdy chair with upper and lower back support to help you maintain good posture throughout the day. Your dining table chair will work just fine. However, investing in a good work chair will pay you good dividends.
● A blue light filter for your laptop screen to help with that headache and eye strain you get every few days. It is caused by staring at your bright laptop screen for long hours. You can also if you prefer, invest in blue light glasses.
● An ergonomic keyboard makes a big difference if you type a lot.
● Natural light to improve your attention span and help you get much-needed Vitamin D. Try setting up your office space near a window.
3. Eat Healthy and Stay Fit
The best way to avoid burnout is to engage in physical activity for at least 15-minutes a day. Choose the exercise of your choice, whether jogging, cycling, yoga, or weight training. As per research, exercise increases serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins levels in your body, so you feel happier and overcome work-related stress better.
Complement your exercise with a balanced diet, and strive to eat three proper meals a day. An effective way to ensure that you’re eating healthy each day is to meal prep. Salads, wraps, pasta, and taco bowls are the easiest to prepare. Dedicate one day a week to meal prep as it will save you multiple hours each day and ensure you meet your daily nutrition needs. Both exercise and healthy eating are foundational to maintaining a low-stress home.
4. Spend Time with Family and Friends
While we speak with our colleagues each day, it’s often through voice calls. The lack of social interactions has led to an increased amount of isolation among remote workers. Spending the majority of your day in front of a screen is bound to take a toll on anyone.
Maintaining strong human connections while working remotely is important for your mental health. This includes spending time with your family—having lunch with them, watching movies, playing games, or simply having a conversation about things beyond work.
Additionally, make time to connect with your friends either remotely or physically if possible. Organize a lunch or have a movie viewing party online. Your friends and family are likely going through similar stresses in isolation as you. Spending time together is the best way to overcome it.
Knowing when to stop working and making time for leisure are keys to maintaining a healthy work-life balance and mental and physical health while working remotely.
Start taking care of yourself today.
Written by Guest Author: Eleanor Wyatt
If you would like a mentor to guide your journey head to the contact page / don’t forget to subscribe to catch more articles coming up. Make sure working from home works for YOU. Finally – thank you to Eleanor for putting this amazing advice together for us all 🙂
© Morvana Zaahira Goodman 2022