7 Tips For Establishing a Work-Life Balance When You Work From Home

A lot of it boils down to time management, scheduling and productivity.


How do you establish a healthy work-life balance when you work from home? originally appeared on Quora, the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world.

With the many different working arrangements that we have in our business world today, establishing proper work-life balance is a priority and one that we have to personally take ownership of as employees and leaders. A lot of it boils down to time management, scheduling and productivity.

Here are some tips that can help you (and your team) out in that regard:

* Ditch distractions. As a first step, it’s essential to identify exactly what your major distractions are. Pay attention. Is it the notifications on your phone? New emails coming in? The desire to google a random fact? Phone calls from friends or relatives? Do what you can to limit these distractions such as placing your phone across the room, turning off email notifications or placing your device on silent.

* Find more time. Look at your schedule critically and see what optional activities you can cut out of your day or outsource. You can put that extra time to better use someplace else.

* Work in chunks. Set aside several chunks of uninterrupted time each day to be productive and complete tasks. It’s also a good idea to identify 2–3 major tasks that you want to complete each day. You’ll get much more done in less time this way.

* Take breaks. As counterintuitive as it might seem, taking breaks during the day can actually increase your productivity as you come back to tasks fresh after you’ve had a breather.

* Don’t overcommit. Guard your time and put proper limits in place. Ask for additional help or time when you need it, and learn to say no without feeling guilty.

* Take control. You have to establish parameters in terms of your schedule by outlining the hours that you will devote to work versus other areas of your life. The line between work and home can become even more blurred while working remotely so setting these parameters is critical.

* Love yourself and stay healthy. Loving yourself is at the heart of balance. This includes self-care, and being kind to yourself. It also involves ensuring that you are getting enough sleep and exercise, that you are eating healthy foods, and that you are feeding yourself intellectually and spiritually. You’re in the driver’s seat here.

This question originally appeared on Quora.

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