As many states across the country begin to open, and still allowing employees to work-at-home, there is still a sense that this period of partial lockdowns and self-imposed isolation will not end anytime soon . And even after all this is over, working from home is likely to become a norm for most workers. The social media giant, Twitter, for instance, announced that employees who could work from home for as long as they wish, even after localities are cleared to go back to work. Honestly, however, the novelty of working from home may be completely messing with your sense of work-life balance.
At first, you could demarcate when work ended and when your personal life started because going to an office and coming back home represented those two parts of your life. What can you do as an employee to maintain this work-life balance in this new normal? In today’s post, we’ll share some ways to cure boredom, and stay healthy and balance it all.
Structure your workday
Because you can work-at-home, it can be difficult to draw the line between your workday and when you should be “off” work. Here’s a strategy to solve this problem.
- The first part of this strategy is to set your working hours. When do you start working in the morning? Wake up, take a shower, get dressed and walk into your workspace at the beginning of your workday. Get the most pressing items on your schedule done early on in the day. This is when most people are energetic and research shows that as we go along in our days, willpower wane. Thus, your best bet is to get your work done earlier on in the day.
- Next, you will want to schedule regular breaks into your schedule. If you’ve had your head down for the last 2 or three hours, get up and get some lunch. Take a 10-minute walk outside to get some fresh air and exercise.
- The next part of this strategy is to have a “closing time”. Decide on a stopping point for your work on any given day. Shut the computer off. Put the work away and move on to your personal life.
Intentionally build exercise into your daily routine
Staying indoors all day during this time can take a toll on your emotions. In most areas around the country, as long as you are keeping 6 feet away from people, you can go outside and get some exercise. Structure a 30-minute walk into your daily routine and see your emotions lift.
Do you have a dog who needs walking? They will also get their much-needed outside time in if you stick to a consistent time of daily exercise.
Schedule a virtual online party with close friends or family
Even introverts are finding in this season that they need to have some kind of contact with people on a daily basis. While restaurants and bars are closed, you can organize virtual hangouts with your friends to continue to connect.
Meet brand new people online
Meeting brand new people via virtual chats is possible as well. Online communities on social media platforms like Facebook are now coming together online to have virtual meetups. You can take advantage of these virtual events. Both of the above points give you an opportunity to make plans for your “off-hours”.
Pick up a new hobby
If you want to learn a new hobby, the internet is bursting with them. Those hobby ideas include:
- Sewing
- Woodwork
- Painting
- Scrap-booking
- Photography
- Videography
And that’s just a short-list. Picking up a new hobby will help you fill in your personal time with productive activity. Additionally, learning a new hobby means because you are using parts of your brain you don’t use in your everyday activities, you will be building new neural pathways.
Work-At-Home Changes
Activating new neural pathways in your brain will keep your brain healthy, help your focus on a work-life balance, adopt a work-at-home policy, and may reduce your chances of developing neuro-degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease.
