Even when I worked in an office, I would often bring work home with me. When I started working remotely, it was just a recipe for disaster. Over time, I’ve found two things to be very important. This is a bit cliche and everybody says this but it’s really true: Rest is very important. And time off is very important.
Gonçalo Silva
Like everything in the world, Work From Home too can be both boon and bane based on how you utilize it. Work from home situation destroyed the line between office and personal space. In the beginning it did make us feel relatively safe from the pandemic and also happy that we get to spend more time with family. Did it last long? NOPE!
After nearly 10 months it has become evident once more that we humans get tired even of good things. Due to the times we are living in, working out of office isn’t an option to most of us! ( Of Course, We are grateful that most of us still have jobs and are able to support our families!) So, However obvious it might sound, for the sake of repeating it for the umpteenth time, You need to learn – How to do ‘work from home’ right.
Boundaries – The Primary confusion.
Most of us used to bring work home after around 8 to 9 hours work in the office. Now that we are always and all the time at home, it has become a confusing task just to prioritize between work, family and me time. We have three main pointers here for you, that you need to religiously follow;
#1. Do not compromise on your 8 or 9 hour workday. You don’t have to stretch just because you are working from home. Make it clear to your colleagues that it is not okay to call you after your work hours.
#2. Make sure that your family understands that you are working and will not be able to indulge their requests during your work hours. This can only be possible if you strictly follow the above point.
#3. See to it that you have some ‘me’ time everyday. Managing both Work and family under one roof 24/7 will surely drain your energy like never before. So make yourself a priority. Do something you love. Pick up a hobby or read a book or simply just sit and listen to music. Do anything that will help you rejuvenate yourself.
Time – Have a Schedule and FOLLOW IT.
The freedom that work from home(WFH) brings us is that, we can work from the comfort of our home and in a way feel like we have lot more time to do our work. The only problem with this notion is that we get too comfortable and pass too much time. Make sure that you still have a schedule. If not as rigid as when you were going to office, at least have a starting and closing time, along with strict break timings. This way you can finish your work in time and also have some uncompromising ‘me’ time.
Teammates – Stay In Touch.
It was a Love and Hate kind of relationship that we had with our colleagues but we did enjoy having them around isn’t it? Divided by yearly appraisal cycles and united by our shared hatred towards our bosses! Office was fun and bearable because of our colleagues. The WFH situation has made it almost impossible to feel that sense of camaraderie. Make it a priority to connect with your colleagues at least once a week over a quick video conference call.
Health – Both Your Mental and Physical!
It is a known fact that being alone does as much harm to humans as smoking. It is important to check on your emotional well being; like understanding why you are feeling low on any particular day. Working from home continuously for longer periods can eventually make us feel cut-off from the outside world, but you cannot let that get the best of you. Make sure you are both physically and mentally active. Put on a YouTube home workout video and burn some calories. Pick up a hobby; Learning a musical instrument, Painting, Puzzles or board games.
Social Life – Pandemic or not, You Must Have One.
Humans are called social animals for a reason. Socializing once in a while with our near and dear ones acts as an emotional fuel that keeps us running for a long time…well, until we need a refill! WFH, especially during this pandemic has made it almost impossible to socialize. You don’t need Parties or Pubs to socialize, chatting with people at your yoga class, checking on your neighbors, striking a conversation about ‘how no one is staying home’ with fellow shoppers at the supermarket! :P…See! You have plethora of options.