With working from home thrust upon us this year without much warning or planning involved, it’s understandable that many people were not prepared or have been able to cope with this new way of working. The typical 9-5 day is now replaced with what seems to be a ground hog day repeated over and over again.  Do weekends even exist anymore in your world?  Well, as business owners it is your responsibility to lead by example and create a structure for working from home and you can then guide your staff through. 

While remote work depends heavily on choosing the best software for getting things done, it’s equally important to invest in tools that help you achieve a healthy balance between work and other areas of your life like family, health, and personal hobbies.

Today I am not going to touch on the business side of creating successful remote work, I am going to take you through the steps to creating balance, so that when we can hopefully return to a combined workforce again you will have staff who are mentally capable and who felt supported through the difficult and uncertain times. 

Implement the following steps in your own life to create that balance you need to function at the highest possible level. 

1. Create and maintain a dedicated work space.  By creating a space that is specifically for work only purposes you can ‘physically’ remove yourself from work when you step away from this space. If possible, don’t use this computer to check personal emails or chat to your friends on Facebook. Use this space purely for work purposes. The lines between work and home are so blurred not that you need to do your best to physically and mentally separate the two. If you have to use a space like your dining table, make sure you pack it up at the end of the day.

2. Block out time to work on specific tasks. This might sound difficult to do, but do your absolute best to make sure you allocate time in your day for work specific tasks and do the same for personal ones.

3. Learn to switch off your business. As mentioned above, you need to pack up any work spaces in your home if they are out in the open and behind an office door. During this time, I recommend that you turn off notifications on your phone for any work related applications. If it is the end of the day or the weekend you should be completely switched off from work related focus.  If the matter is urgent, someone will call you. 

4. Take a break. Make sure you as you would at work, take a lunch break. Don’t just stop for food and eat it at your desk. Eat outside or anywhere away from your desk.  I even recommend that you take a short walk.  Around the block, clear your mind and refocus on the tasks for the rest of your day. You will thank me later for that one. 
5. Remove any shame or embarrassment. You are working from home so if your kids or pets interrupt a call, just go with it.  We are all working under unique circumstances now and to be honest your team would enjoy seeing that personal side to you.  Yes you are their boss, but you are human too. 

6. Make special plans for yourself daily. Just as I said above about blocking out time in the day to get tasks done, make time for yourself as well. This is where the balance comes in. Put a time in your diary where you are going to go for that run, call your mum, read a chapter in the book you keep putting aside and whatever you do, don’t feel guilty about it! 

You must keep telling yourself – being busy is not a sign of success.

These might seem like fairly basic tasks for staying on track with your work life balance, but in these uncertain times so many of us have fallen into the trap of working when we feel like we don’t have anything else to do.

Make that time to watch a movie, do a puzzle with you children or meditate. And please do not feel guilty about it. A healthy mind and body will make you a better business; owner and all round human being in the long run.