It’s easy to get off track and go overboard with work, or lose productivity when we’re at home. However, these tips are sure to help you get back on track and maintain an ideal balance between work and personal life while working from home. Take it from us at TVL — being virtual assistants, COVID was not our first time working from home; we consider ourselves pros when it comes to time management and getting back into ‘work mode’, as well as knowing when we need to take a step back for some TLC.
Schedule strict work time and relaxation time
This is our first and probably most crucial step in maintaining a balanced routine while working from home. Even if you have to set an alarm for yourself to force yourself to get off the couch, this will encourage you to get to work and create a habit or routine.
Establishing a routine takes 21 days, so remember this when you are establishing your times, and try to schedule them relatively around the same time each day. For example, try waking up at the same time every morning, having lunch at the same time each afternoon and shutting the computer off at the same time every night. These little details will make huge impacts on your overall progress, trust us.
Have dedicated spaces for work (don’t send emails from bed!)
We understand that not everyone has the physical space, or budget for an office so this one can be challenging if you have a smaller apartment or room, but try to section off areas of your house, apartment or living space for relaxation and for work. This will create the mental separation in your brain that one room is for doing work (completing blogs, data entry, emails) and another room is for binge watching the latest episodes of the Real Housewives or the new Friends reunion.
We recommend that you avoid checking emails and other work-related notifications while in bed. Typically, this is when we are trying to wind down before sleeping or when we are starting our day in the morning. Even if you absolutely love your job, adding the possibility of anxiety or stress during those crucial times can create loss of sleep, or set your day up poorly. It also confuses the mental separation in your brain between your work-space and your relaxation space.
Get into the work mindset
For most of us, clothing is a valuable way of self-expression. Just the act of showering and getting dressed at the beginning of each day sets our day up for success, regardless of if anything significant happens or not. If you WFH, this can be challenging because unless you are on zoom meetings for work, it’s likely you won’t have to ‘dress up’ for work. However, the mere act of getting ready, or even just putting on a set of clothes that don’t include the same pair of sweats you’ve worn for the past three days, can change your mood drastically. You don’t necessarily have to go as far as putting on makeup, doing your hair, and the whole nine yards, but if you need help getting into work mode, try it out! Maybe getting dressed up is exactly what you need.
Another common habit of our team is going for walks in the mornings, to imitate the sense of ‘walking to the office’. This essentially checks off two things at once, by getting in your physical activity for the day (and some fresh air), as well as a solid mood booster!
Working on the weekends
This can be a fiery subject around our virtual office. For many people, VAs included, weekends are when we get the majority of our work done. Or, if you are balancing two jobs, then weekends unfortunately don’t exist for you (which might be another problem in itself — but we’re not therapists here).
On the other hand, some people strongly disagree with working on the weekends and would much rather indulge in some quality time with friends and family. Regardless of your preference, we suggest finding a balance between work and life somewhere in the mix. Unfortunately, once you leave high school, weekends don’t exactly exist on Saturdays and Sundays for everyone, so don’t be surprised if your schedule doesn’t always align with others’.
Do you have any WFH tips you think would be great to share? Let us know! Be sure to follow us on our social media platforms where we post lifestyle and travel content, VA tips and tricks and so much more. If you have further questions about TVL, feel free to contact us using the form on our website for more information.
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