For many people, the prospect of working from home on your own schedule seems like a dream, but as you will find with any job, it presents its own, unique set of challenges. One of the biggest challenges that many remote workers face is maintaining a healthy balanced lifestyle.
Due to the unscheduled and often unpredictable nature of remote work, freelancers and remote workers can often find it difficult to draw a distinct line between their work and leisure time. However, there are things that you can do to help make your work from home life more balanced and more enjoyable. In this article, you’ll find 3 tips that could help you to do exactly that.
1. Set a Schedule and Stick to It
For most people, having the flexibility to create their own schedule is what draws them to remote work, however, you’ll soon find that having no defined schedule isn’t always a great thing. In order to be efficient and be able to separate your work and home life effectively, setting a strict schedule can be useful. Of course, you don’t have to work 9-5 as you would in a traditional office, but setting aside time where you have to work could help you be more productive and enjoy your downtime more.
2. Let Your Clients Know Your Working Hours
If you work on a freelance basis, you may find that your schedule is set by your clients. Whilst it’s important to do what you can to build good relationships, it’s still necessary to consider your personal life and prioritize your downtime. You don’t want to be checking emails, taking business calls or finishing off work when you’re taking the day off. Doing this can lead to serious burnout, and if you talk to your clients, it can be avoided. Let them know the hours that you’ll be working and that way, if they email you, or need to contact you, they’ll be aware that they may not get a response until you’re ‘back in the office’.
3. Schedule Time for Relaxation
When you work from home, it’s easy to adopt a work hard, play hard mentality, especially if you travel whilst you work. This usually takes the form of working through the day, hitting the bar immediately after and then waking up early the next day to do it all again. Whilst this can be fun, it can often be draining, as you have no real relaxation time scheduled. In order to maintain a good balance consider factoring in time for activities that are geared towards relaxing. If you struggle to relax, you could try using herbal relaxants or joining a Yoga class. Alternatively, settling down and listening to some relaxing music can often do the trick.