Studies tell us that over half of people who work from home in the UAE intend to split their time almost evenly between their career and personal life. Interestingly, the same study also indicated that nearly 60% of those working from home also always feel ‘on’ and available for work, leaving them unable to fully switch off.
This is a common piece of feedback across the board when it comes to working from home. It has some incredible benefits like; no commute, more family time, and let’s not forget the treasure of a bonus that is - being able to take conference calls with pajama bottoms on! However, if you do feel you are struggling to get that work/ life balance right whilst you live the remote employee life, there are some changes that you need to make.
It’s not good for anybody to feel burned out at work or stressed out by their personal life. There is a way to get a better hold on both aspects of your day to day, including trying these tips below:
One way that work and personal life can become a bit too blurry is when we are trying to manage two different schedules. Be honest, do you update both your work diary and your personal diary at the same time every time something changes? The chances are that you don’t, and if you WFH you may be even less likely to pencil in plans you have, especially if they are casual, such as having dinner with the family.
To create more balance and ensure you show up for both work and personal plans, use a mixed diary. It doesn’t have to be shared with anybody else, but it will show you how much time you are spending on personal tasks and how much time you are spending on work - especially if you color code work and personal appointments in different shades.
Once you see both diaries combined you should also have a good idea of where you can do more or less of certain tasks and activities, or where you are accidentally double booking. Just be sure to use an app or program that is easy to access from anywhere, so you’re always able to update it or view it when you need to.
It is far too easy to utilize the sofa or the kitchen worktop as a workspace, rather than creating a dedicated working space at home. This is problematic for many reasons including:
Instead, consider creating a dedicated workspace in a spare room, your unused dining room, or even a corner of a bedroom. As long as you know that space is specifically for work, you can then associate being in ‘the zone’ with that space, keeping it separate from your ‘personal space’ in the rest of the house.
Boundaries are so important when it comes to WFH and work/ personal life balance. It could be something as simple as the fact that nobody is allowed in your working space between certain hours, or when the door is locked. It could be boundaries for yourself, that make it so that you cannot check emails or work messages after a certain time unless it is an emergency. Having boundaries that you and your family are clear about helps WFH run much more smoothly overall.
Sometimes we do need a little bit of a separation from the house to create more of a balance between working and enjoying time with friends, partners or other family members. This could be working in a coffee shop a few afternoons a week, or maybe using a co-working space local to you. Some people even use a self-storage unit as an office temporarily. Doing this can help you to create a separation between work time and personal time, even if it’s just once a week.
Remember, just because you can do all your work from home doesn’t mean you should do it all the time. Don’t be afraid to delegate jobs if that is part of your job role and don’t forget to take breaks. You don’t have to work overtime just because you skipped the commute, or because you get to have lunch in your garden.
If you are taking on too much, or even just finding WFH difficult because of anxiety or stress, it is important to be honest with your boss about that. 80% of workers would switch their job position for a job at a company that focused more on the mental health of their employees. Your employer likely knows that and wants to support you more. If you’re struggling, speak to somebody.
Unfortunately, a lot of clients or bosses forget that there are people at the end of the phone or email, and they might micromanage you, or contact you at all hours expecting a reply. This is very common when you work from home, as psychologically it indicates to some people (incorrectly) that you are always available.
The best thing to do about that is to place clear auto-replies on your email and let clients and employers know when you will be finishing work (within previously agreed times). Let anybody you work with know that you are not available out of hours, and they should respect that.
Being able to balance work and your personal life is so challenging when you work from home, but the great thing is that the situation can always be improved. The most important thing is to start making changes before things get too stressed, or the lines get too blurred - it’s much easier to create balance when the scales aren’t too heavy on either side.
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