Working from home during a pandemic is vastly different than usual; two environments coming together that were never meant to overlap this much. It’s about balancing our time between our family’s needs and our work responsibilities, doing best to adapt to new ways of working.
The concept of a work/life balance’ has undoubtedly undergone a major change in recent months. Today an employee works around the clock and finishing the office hours doesn’t mean that you leave the work behind.
Work-life balance is about creating and maintaining supportive and healthy work environments, which will enable employees to have a balance between work and personal responsibilities.
Working without structure can have major implications for both productivity and mental and physical health. So here are some tips to manage your work from home balance-
- Remember to give time to yourself and your family. Familiarise yourself with when you are at your most productive and capitalize on those periods, and complete any jobs that tend to take a long time during this period. You may find this helps you free up time during the day to focus on your home priorities like spending time with family or children.
- Establishing an exercise routine when working from home can be challenging but taking care of your physical and mental well-being is also very important. Building activity into your workday has both health and productivity benefit which set you up for success.
- Planning your day will help you manage your time more effectively and allow you to balance your work and home priorities. Discuss your work plan in advance with your family members. Make a plan to distribute household chores. Maintain a schedule and communicate with your family to help keep focused.
- Designate a room that’s exclusive for work. Create a happy space with appropriate sunlight, just like in the workplace. Clean your work area and organize the clutter at least once a day. Take regular breaks and avoid taking your lunch break on your worktable.
Work-Life Balance Amid Pandemic: Doctor’s Advice
Dr. Samir Parikh, Director, Fortis Mental Health & Behavioural Sciences spoke to HealthWire and shares valuable tips to focus on your mental well-being.
Those who are having issues with Work for Home, must take breaks and do other stuff to keep yourself energized.
Create a happy space, or a room with appropriate sunlight. Make sure your workspace is quiet, so you can focus on the task at hand.
You can adopt small practices to elevate your mood; which can be helpful in boosting your emotional health. But just as you put efforts into building and maintaining physical health, it is also important to build and maintain your mental health.
Small things like exercising, eating balanced and healthy meals with your family, taking a break when you need to, and getting a good night’s sleep can be helpful in boosting your emotional health
Stay optimistic no matter how tough it is. Pandemic condition is like a tsunami that has not only affected you but everyone in the world. Appreciate little things around you; see what is good, positive, and beautiful as you go about your day.