While so many more people are experiencing working from home due to the Coronavirus lockdown, it is important to note that during this Work Wise Week, we are not experiencing a true reflection of working from home.

As a mum of two young children, I, like many parents, find the space in which we live is now our office, our school, a play zone, a snack emporium and a place for relaxation.

I’m attempting to educate my children while also navigating the demands for work time and space with my husband.

Although I have worked from home for over a decade and edit a magazine dedicated to the subject, this current scenario is throwing up even more challenges. When working remotely, many people struggle with the lack of distinction between work and home life and right now, those boundaries are increasingly blurred as we are confined to our homes.

The often-heard advice about making sure you get out and work elsewhere a few days a week, or head to your coffee shop for some social interaction, is currently redundant. All this means is it’s more challenging than ever to strike that ultimate goal of achieving a better “work-life balance”.

This balance is why so many people opt to work from home or request flexible working. While it’s important, it’s a phrase I rarely use. I’m not the first and won’t be the last to talk about how it’s not strictly achievable. Work and life will never be equally balanced. Some days the scales will tip in the direction of work, other days, family life takes priority.

So rather than try to achieve the impossible, we can look to integrate work and life more successfully and achieve a state where they sit harmoniously together, even if not perfectly balanced.

Define your hours

Establishing set working hours is a first step to preventing you from overworking and never shutting off. When work is at home, home is also at work. The temptation to remain logged on, replying to emails or carrying on with work tasks is ever present.

Giving yourself clear, defined hours is not just helpful for your own mental health and wellbeing but also for those you live with.

One of the most important considerations when you work from home are your household members. Having set time away from work means they don’t feel as if they’re living in an office or that your work constantly takes you away. It helps to give everybody some structure and a framework on which to base other household activities such as meal times or play times.

One of the big attractions of homeworking is the flexibility and freedom of setting your own hours. While those hours need not be 9-5, it’s still important to give yourself some core times, even if they start earlier or finish slightly later. Once defined and written down, they become easier to stick to and it ensures you have enough downtime and can enjoy family time too.

In an office environment, you have your core working hours and you should not expect to work longer than those just because you’re at home. You also get the visual and social cues to switch off, take breaks and finish for the day. These are harder to come by when working alone at home so setting an alarm, scheduling an end of day meeting or call can help give you a sense of closure to the working day and transition to free time. Giving yourself an activity to mark the end of the day can also help you to switch off. Even a short walk outside around the block and back can signal the end of your working day and almost replace a daily commute.

A morning ritual

One way to ensure you have time to yourself that is not dictated by work is to get up early enough and create a simple morning ritual. This small act, whether it be a mindful practise such as journaling or meditation, or just a quiet cup of tea before the rest of the household wakes up ensures you have had time for yourself before the working day has begun.

It can help set you up for a productive day and prevents that feeling of urgency or being behind the curve from the moment you wake up. In that more stressed state, your day starts with work and you feel as if you’re playing catch up.

Having an enjoyable morning routine to help you prepare and give you some time for yourself helps to keep the scales tipped in favour of your life and wellbeing rather than just work.

Social Time

While you may feel you’re being more connected than ever with constant Zoom and conference calls and virtual meetings, what we miss out on are the social conversations.

We no longer have those ‘watercooler moments’ or chance interactions that break up the day and allow us to come out of work mode for a while.

I like to set aside time to call a friend or even catch up with social media messages. After lockdown eases, making time for a coffee with a friend or organising social engagements to mark the end of the week ensures you keep a healthy proportion of non-work time in your schedule.

It’s rejuvenating and helps give you a fresh perspective when you spend your day alone.

Boundaries

Being disciplined around your boundaries can help you achieve more quality time to relax and enjoy time outside of work.

If you have family at home and you allow yourself to be constantly interrupted, progress will be slow! You will work in a less productive manner than when you have an hour of deep, focused work. Ultimately, it means you can finish earlier and spend quality time with your family or friends instead of bitty moments picked up throughout the day in between calls or emails when you’re never fully present to either work or your life outside it. This exacerbates the feeling of never being switched off.

It can be helpful to have a conversation with all family and friends about your working hours and when you’re not to be disturbed. It also requires some discipline to maintain your own boundaries when people call or knock when you’re not available. Some parents find a sign on the door helps let people know you’re working and not playing right now.

Set aside a designated ‘non workspace’

It’s a common piece of advice when it comes to homeworking: create a dedicated workspace.

It can help you establish good boundaries around where work stops and home life begins. It can help you compartmentalise and shut off from work at the end of the day. But the space that’s as important as your work area is your living space, the rooms or spots in your house where work never goes.

Not everyone has a separate home office. Many people work from their kitchen table, a corner of the sitting room or spare bedroom. It is then even more important to keep your work from spilling over into your living or relaxing space.

If you can’t shut work away, ensure you’ve got a sanctuary where you can relax. It’s as much for other members of your household as yourself.

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