Wellbeing at home office starts with a proper work-life balance
Wellbeing at work begins with refreshed mind and rested body and continues with comfortable and efficient work environment. This applies equally to working from home and from an actual office space. What differs however, are the blurred lines of work-life balance in home office setup.
Nowadays, we all try to be exemplary employees who, as the day goes on, take on the roles of a teacher, chef, parent, gardener... .Everyday reality checks in and we need to learn to master it. Hand in hand with managing work-life balance, let's not forget about wellbeing which is essential to our mental health and efficiency.
Focus on what you can influence
If your household doesn't offer the luxury of separate office space, you might as well work within the limits. Get inspired by our tips on how to stay organized and follow our shortcuts to instant improvement on your wellbeing:
- Even when working from the kitchen table, follow the clean desk policy. At the end of the day, clear all documents, work tools and IT equipment into a storage space to declutter your households.
- Not having enough light negatively influences our mood. While many offices are illuminated with fluorescent ceiling lights, home offices are usually on the darker side. Here, multiple light sources such as indirect natural light complimented by an ambient light and task lighting are the best option.
- Deal with interruptions and distractions with physical barrier or a quality headset. Use it as a signal for your kids and spouse that you are in a focus mode. If all else fails, escape. Join co- working spaces or take your conf-call for a ride.
- There is no need for headaches, grumpiness or fidgeting. Do not push yourself through low energy times. Instead have healthy snacks close by and keep yourself hydrated.
- Our fitness apps and step counting watches are hibernating together with our new year resolutions of moving more during the day. With digital meetings, we hardly get the chance to walk or stretch. Therefore, don't forget about breaks and get yourself educated about products supporting active sitting.
- Don't take yourself so seriously. During these days we uncover more of our privacy and personality then we ever wanted. Household flaws, kids and pets are often part of our conference calls and it should not be stressing. Simply accept, that we cannot control it all, rather turn it into ice breakers. If situations get intense, open a window and breathe.
Where did the balance go?
We all know someone who seems to be online, whenever we check. To turn off your laptop is one thing, to actually effectively turn off your work- brain and successfully overlook the notifications of incoming emails on your phone is completely another, especially when using dual sim card devices. Harmless habit which tends to slide into "Limbo Time", when we are neither on nor off duty can lead to burnout, causes sleep problems and relationship quarrels.
Working from home brought, among other things, difficulties with work-life balance. Many of us have a lot of conference calls during the day and manage our emails only in the evening. However, it is important that our employees do not feel pressured to respond to such late emails immediately, especially after their working hours. Therefore, with colleagues from the senior management team, we agreed on several steps to prevent such situations. One of them was adding the following sentence to the email signature: I don't expect you to reply to this email outside of business hours or during non-business days.
This part is tricky, because as much as we need the mental rest, many also feel the need to get ready for the next workday.
Luckily, there are ways to cope:
- Have a clear transition from work to free time with a wrap-up routine.
- Let your team know when you are no longer available, set a regular time to go off and stick to it.
- Be active right after work, meet family, run errands, call a friend or do sports. You will be less prone to give your attention back to the digital world.
- If you must, check the notification and read the email for your peace of mind, but leave it at that. Do not answer and slide into being back at work.
- Out of sight, out of mind- simply put your phone away and dissolve into the offline world.
At the end of the working day, I write all the remaining tasks and thoughts on post-its. It frees up the space in my head for new ideas and allows me to relax. In addition, writing on paper improves memory, concentration and increases creativity, which is a golden skill at current time.
Our Tip: Discover also a greener solution for saving your thoughts: glass desktop pad
In case your situation is more specific, simply reach out for advice to your colleagues, mentor, manager or friends, as we all experience and adapt to this new working style together. Wellbeing at work starts with refreshed mind and rested body and continues with comfortable and efficient work environment.
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