Working From Home: How to Maintain a Proper Work/Life Balance

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I've been working from home for about four months now, and suffice it to say transitioning from a fully staffed work environment to a home office wasn't exactly smooth. I had to adjust to setting my own schedule, finding enough work to stay solvent, and when I did find that work, had to figure out how to find a balance between my work schedule and my personal life. But over this past month or so, I've managed to find a balance that works for me, and I'd love to share some tips with you all that I personally find extremely helpful!

1. Schedule Concrete Work Days/ Hours

One of the hardest things about working from home is creating your own schedule, but it's a necessary part of your daily routine to get locked down. In my job, I don't always receive my writing assignments at the beginning of the workweek. Because of having an irregular assignment schedule, I make sure that I have certain hours during each workday blocked out for the week ahead of time.

Once I receive my articles, I spread them out through the week based on the amount I've been assigned and the length of each individual article, and because I've already blocked out my workdays ahead of time, I don't have to worry or panic about fitting certain longer articles into my schedule.

For those of you who get your workload well ahead of time, I recommend scheduling out your week either on the weekend or first thing Monday morning, so that you're not stressing about how to fit certain projects into your week. I also recommend working on the same days each week as much as possible, as knowing which days you work every week will help you to better organize your workload.

2. Schedule Out Your Personal Life

Setting aside certain times of the day or days of the week for your own personal time is essential. If you don't set aside time for yourself, you may end up working too much or too little and will either burn yourself out or end up with half a workload unfinished and overdue.

I personally work 5-6 days a week, depending on the workload that I have. Sunday is always my day off, and I usually don't begin work until the mid-morning hours. I also try to be done by 5 or 6 so that I'm not working through the night.

Spreading out my personal time this way helps me not to take off too much time from work, but also allows me enough time to spend by myself and with others. I highly recommend that you set aside specific times for relaxation, as this will help you to maintain a healthy social life while at the same time preventing you from putting off your work.

3. Wear Work Clothes and Practice Good Hygiene

When working from home, you're sitting down more often and not working with other colleagues, which can make it easier to just slide out of bed and work in your pajamas, since no one else is around. This, however, can be detrimental to your mental health.

This doesn't mean you have to wear a pantsuit and do a full makeup routine; just combing your hair, washing your face, brushing your teeth, and putting on a fresh change of clothes will suffice, but it is necessary.

Freshening up every day contributes greatly to feelings of self-confidence, which helps to maintain a balance in your mental health when you're working in a more isolated environment. For myself, I like to do a very basic makeup routine, brush my hair and throw on an outfit that's comfortable to sit in all day but looks nice enough for me to step out of the house in if I need to.

4. Change Your Location Every Now and Then

Now that cafes and restaurants have re-opened, those of us who work from home have more of an opportunity to get out of the house. If you're starting to feel antsy being cooped up inside all day, take your laptop to your local Starbucks or indie cafe and get a change of place!

I'd recommend taking your work out of the house on a day when you have a relatively light workload, as cafes and restaurants can often be busy and noisy, which could cause you to become distracted from your work if you have a lot to do.

I personally enjoy doing this at the end of the week, as I try to schedule all my major articles for the beginning of the week. This way I can work in a relaxed manner, enjoy my latte and take in the atmosphere of my local coffee house!

5. Limit Distractions

A really important aspect of working from home is limiting your distractions as much as possible. If you don't need your cell phone for work, I recommend turning it on airplane mode during your working hours. You can also turn off notifications for social media if you need your phone for business calls or Zoom meetings.

Also, if you live in a house with other people, make sure they're aware of the hours you're working. This way you can schedule chores, plans, and other household arrangements outside of your workday so that you don't have to worry about washing the dishes or taking the dog for a walk while on the clock.

6. Take Breaks and Sick Days

Taking breaks during the day is necessary, as working through your lunch or not getting up to stretch your legs can severely affect your energy and your productivity. I recommend taking 1-2 breaks during the day, depending on how many hours you're working.

At the beginning of my workday, I always set a timer for 2 hours, and once that timer goes off, I take my tea. It's also important to set a reasonable time for a break. I personally find 30 minutes for my tea is just long enough to feel refreshed!

It's also important to take time off when you're sick. If you're finding you can't concentrate on your work because your head is pounding and you're stuffed up, go back to bed. You may have to work a little extra over the following days to catch up, but if you don't take sick days, you'll find you won't accomplish much work anyways.

Now let's be realistic for a moment- you're not going to stick to this list of tips every single day. There will be times when you're not able to adhere to your schedule completely or when your phone is buzzing off the table, but what's important is trying to establish these habits in your routine as much as possible. The longer you work from home, the more you'll learn how to properly adapt these habits and figure out what works for you!