Chances are you or someone you know are currently Working From Home (WFH) due to the Corona Virus (aka COVID). While this change is temporary for many people, more and more companies are beginning to instruct their employees to continue working from home for the foreseeable future. Some companies are even giving their employees the option to work from home permanently.
This transition from working in an office to working from home happened so abruptly, its left many people stressed, anxious, and exhausted.
But why? Shouldn’t everyone be more relaxed now that they don’t have to worry about their commute, annoying coworkers, or wearing real pants?
Well here’s the thing…without that commute, stepping into the office and seeing your coworkers, or putting on something other than pajamas, sweatpants, shorts, or athleisure, you are lacking the structure that you relied on to create boundaries. Those boundaries helped you maintain that work / life balance. Without that structure and those boundaries, you’re likely working longer, harder, are feeling more burnt out than ever before.
So here are things you can do to help make Working From Home a better experience for you.
Create A Separate Space
Don’t work on the couch, on your bed, in the seat you eat your meals, or anywhere else that serves another purpose. In other words, create a make-shift office for yourself. This can be a little desk or table in the corner of a room. The important thing is do not use that space for anything other than work.
Create (and stick to) A Routine
Just because you can roll out of bed right before your meeting, doesn’t mean you should. Just like you would before, get up with enough time to go through your morning routine.
Stop Answering Work Calls & Emails
Set a time where you’re going to “clock in” and “clock out” of work. Don’t answer work calls or emails before you “clock in” (when you’d typically get to the office) and don’t answer after you “clock out” (when you’d typically leave for the day).
Give Yourself A Break
Schedule four 15-minute breaks throughout your day. Block them off in your calendar so you won’t get scheduled for meetings or calls too. Use that time to go for a walk, play a game on your phone, make a snack, meditate, or literally almost anything else you’d like.
