17 ways to thrive and create a healthy work-life balance during and after this pandemic

Never has there been a more important time to keep a healthy work-life balance and one thing is for sure this pandemic is going nowhere very soon!

This pandemic has thrown many of us into unchartered territory. Many of us are used to working from home but for the vast majority of us, this is a new challenge. According to experts it looks like within the next 5 years 50% of us will be working from home so finding a balance between working and our personal life is going to be even more important.

In a recent survey that Facebook did with regard to their staff working from home, it transpired that productivity was as high if not higher than if their staff had been working at the office. However, they also discovered that at least 50% wanted to return to work in the office and that many employees were struggling with work-life balance. As an employer of thousands of staff, Facebook is very aware that helping their staff with this is going to be one of their main focuses in the coming months and years in order to keep their workforce happy and healthy.

The advantages of working from home are many but also if we don’t get the balance right and we don’t separate our work from our personal life it starts to encroach on our whole life. This can lead to serious consequences and can be detrimental to our wellbeing, our relationships and our mental health.

Health: Working long longs puts the body under stress which in turn can lead to anxiety, depression and substance abuse. Also constantly working without breaks or time for other activities may leave you feeling unhappy. Isolation from colleagues can make us feel lonely and unhappy too.

Tiredness: Working long hours and late without time to relax can lead to sleep problems which can result in feeling burnt out and also can weaken the immune system

No time for family: Even though you may be present at home, you may not be ‘Present’. You may be constantly in your home office or if not you may be constantly thinking about work rather than being engaged in your home life with your family. This can lead to stresses and strains within relationships.

So let’s have a look at how we can improve our work-life balance and make working from home a blessing and not a curse. The benefits of working from home are huge, less time commuting, more autonomy etc. But when it comes down to it, work is work and we still need to be productive whether sitting in the garden with our laptop or in our home office or constantly eating snacks from our home fridge.

1. Have set work hours Make it work to your strengths and create a work schedule that works for you and try your best to stick to it. You may work better early morning or better later. Pick your hours and try to stick to them.
2. Have a separate area to work if you can It helps to create a division between work and personal life. When you want to relax you want to be sure you are not thinking about working and be able to focus on those around you.
3. Make your work area as comfortable and inviting as possible Make sure you have your desk and chair and screen at the right height to stop back and neck aches which can make you feel awful.
4. Make a plan Plan your week ahead either on the Friday before or on Sunday night. This way you can stop thinking of work over the weekend because you know you have it sorted for the week already. If you need help planning and scheduling your day you can download a free copy of MY PA 2020 Planner here www.mypaplanner.com/download
5. Set 3 goals every day of the things you need to achieve. Write those into your schedule first. These are the most important things and they are most probably the hardest, so aim to do those first.
6. Schedule everything Everything takes time and we sometimes forget that. We underestimate what we have to do and therefore often don’t get it all. This can result in us working late to get things finished. It can also lead to disappointment and feelings of underachievement which are not good for our mindset. For example, if you need to engage on social media for your work add that into your schedule. It all takes time.
7. Make Time for Exercise. When you exercise, your body releases chemicals called endorphins. Endorphins trigger a positive feeling in the body.
8. Take breaks and add them into your schedule
9. Sleep During this pandemic, many have had problems sleeping. Having a break between working and sleep is important. And if you are having a problem then there are many relaxation and sleep apps.
10. Relax Make time for relaxation every day and make sure you add it to your schedule
11. Make time for friends and family Connection is important. Even if we can’t see our friends and family in person there so many opportunities to meet up virtually. A simple phone call with a friend or relative can lift our spirits.
12. Don’t be hard on yourself If there is something you have not completed and it’s taken longer than usual try and carry it over to the next day if possible to stop you working late.
13. Reward yourself Celebrate your wins and reward yourself with something nice.
14. Take full advantage of the advantages of working from home. Enjoy your home comforts. Take breaks and lunch breaks in the garden or take a walk locally. Use the extra time you have that you would have used commuting to do something you love.
15. Stay hydrated Water helps us to be alert and well all the time
16. Mindset Keeping positive is really important at the moment. Limit your news intake. Do everything you can to keep safe and physically and mentally healthy and then try and stop worrying about things you can not control. Practice positive self-talk and affirmations daily.
17. Connect with interest groups Working alone can sometimes be lonely and without connection from other colleagues, you can start to lose confidence or start to doubt yourself. There are so many apps available so people can connect, Zoom, Messenger room, Skype and Google Meet.

Have you got any more work from home tips?

Really interested to know if you have any more tips about maintaining a healthy work-life balance in these tough times.

If you would like help with managing your business and life please feel free to download a copy a MY PA Planner 2020 to help you plan out your days. You can download at this link www.mypaplanner.com/download