Millions of employees worldwide have transitioned to a work-from-home setup because of the pandemic.
Now that you’re working from home, when was the last time you stepped away from your home office desk and took some time just for yourself? Burnout is also a risk when you’re working from home. What’s more important than making sure you get work done is knowing when to stop.
To steer away from potential burnouts, here are four things that you can do.
Set boundaries
Keeping your work time and personal time separate is important. Set a start time each morning and end time each afternoon, and ask your colleagues and bosses to respect those times. This sets the expectation for your colleagues as to when you are available to them.
Once you’ve clocked out, try your best not to check your emails and office group chats.
Follow a schedule
Just like when you’re in the office, sticking to a daily routine can help you stay on track and limit the chances to get sidetracked.
Give yourself time to eat breakfast, take a shower and get dressed, just like you would in your normal routine.
It also helps if you set several alarms to structure your day. Take a break at 9:30, grab lunch at noon, and stop work at four.
In the evening, create a similar ritual — like turning off your computer and staying away from your work station.
As the days pass, the schedule may become second nature, and you should do your best to stick to it.
Hit your daily goals; track your progress
Working from your home in Denver or California, you can practically be your own boss as there are no supervisors around to check what you’re doing. It doesn’t mean, however, that you’re free to slack off on your shift and get work done another time in the day.
It’s still essential to hit your goals each shift. Researchers found that the most important factor in feeling accomplished and happy every day is by making progress in meaningful work.
The “Progress Principle” keeps you motivated, energized, and happy. The more frequently you experience that sense of progress, the happier you become.
Practice self-care
Given the pandemic, it’s no secret that people’s stress and anxiety levels are on a high. This makes self-care even more important.
Don’t rush to your work station ASAP. Why not wake up a bit earlier to meditate, eat mindfully, and enjoy your morning coffee? Take a shower, get dressed from the waist up, and spray on perfume if it makes you feel good.
Likewise, quell the tension with calming activities. Catch up with friends, read your favorite book, lift some weights, start on a passion project. Even when there are lots of work to be done, don’t forget to take care of yourself.
Work can infiltrate every moment of our days, so we need to carve out time that’s just for us. While these tips should help you avoid that work-from-home burnout, it takes time to make them a habit. So as early as today, make sure to include these practices in your routine.
