When you work from home either as a solopreneur or because of a negotiated agreement with your work, it can sometimes feel like you’re caught in a twilight world – not quite office-based professional, but not quite ready to sit around in your pyjamas all day. This feeling can become even more exaggerated when you have extra duties to take care of, such as taking kids to school, or the child minder and you always have one eye on the clock.
How can you make working from home feel normal and retain a degree of professionalism? We take a look at some top tips to get home and remote workers in the right frame of mind.
Accept Reality
You might really want to do and achieve everything, but the truth is that’s going to be easier said than done and there are times when something has to give. If you feel like you’re constantly failing to live up to your own or other’s expectations, then it’s time to rethink those expectations. If you have a limited number of hours in your working day, then you will have to accept that there is only so much you can do. Once you accept this, you’ll find it far easier to prioritise a time sensitive such as organising your digital printing from RCSDigitalPrinting.com over replying to an email that can wait until tomorrow.
And it’s creating priorities which is at the heart of working from home. This can be made easier with a solid routine in place, avoiding that feeling of panic when you walk back through the door after the school run and wondering how your day is going to unfold.
Be Even More Organised
Home workers need to be even more organised than their office-based counterparts. With no one there to remind you, those phone conferences can be easily forgotten. And because you are away from colleagues, there are likely to be even more of them. Whether you live for the smell of new stationery or love an app that syncs all your calendars, make sure you keep up to date with tasks.
Remember You
You are more than just a worker and parent, you are still you and there are times when you need to make your mental and physical health top priority. You won’t function properly as either a worker or a parent if you’re not feeling great, so make sure you put yourself first every now and again. Take a break from the screen and go for a walk, hand over the baby and go for a run, just whatever it takes to restore a little equilibrium in your life.
There are so many advantages for home-based working but some key concepts that need to be put into place before you find yourself lost in a sea of emails and deadlines. Choose priorities that make your life easier and place your well being at the top of the agenda for a work life balance that doesn’t neglect either side.
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