Guest Writer: Lacie Martin
All photos via Pexels
Balancing work and life becomes a lot harder when you start working from home. Whether you’re new to remote work or you’ve been doing this for years, you’re likely well aware of the challenges involved in juggling childcare, chores, and work deadlines. Your career demands a lot of your time, but so does your family!
Finding balance is essential for keeping your life running smoothly and preventing chaos in your household. Just like the changes everyone is experiencing through remote work, so too must we anticipate how to keep the kids busy and happy at the same time to ensure everyone’s sanity.
Find Ways to Keep the Kids Occupied
If you’re trying to get work done with kids at home, good luck! As a parent, you’re always on call as a personal chef, playmate, and sibling conflict mediator. Get your kids interested in some solo activities so you can focus!
- First, help your kids burn off some energy outside. There are plenty of fun activities you can do together in the great outdoors.
- Video games can also be a great source of entertainment for kids. Just be sure to set limits so they don’t go overboard.
Boost Your Productivity
Working unproductively is a great way to make your workday longer—and more mentally draining—than it has to be. Make some productivity improvements to your work routine so you can free up more time for family.
- If you haven’t already, set up a dedicated home office for work and nothing but work.
- Believe it or not, adding some plants to your home office can make you more productive. Office plants can even increase your well-being!
- Parents can work more efficiently by establishing boundaries with their kids, taking advantage of early mornings and late nights, and using productivity apps to stay on task.
- Whatever you do, try not to multitask. The laundry can wait until after work!
Make Time for You
Although working from home sometimes seems more relaxing than working in an office, it can still be stressful and mentally exhausting, especially when you’ve got a lot of household responsibilities on your plate. Remember to make time for you!
- Carve out time for daily exercise. When your body feels good, your mind will too!
- Don’t be tempted to work through lunch. Take a proper break to relax and eat a nutritious meal that will keep you going through the afternoon.
- Sometimes, you just need to get away from everything. Take a solo walk, hide in the bedroom with a good book, or run a hot bath.
When it comes to finding a balance between work and personal life, it’s very common for remote workers to struggle. But it doesn’t have to be this way! Whether it’s banishing distractions during your work hours or finding relaxing ways to spend your “me” time, creating work-life harmony is easier than you might think!