A healthy work-life balance is essential for any professional. The sudden outbreak of a global pandemic prompted lockdowns and shelter-in-place measures across the globe. As a response, working-from-home arrangements became the new norm for a lot of people.
This drastic change has blurred the line between work and personal life. Professionals found it challenging to manage their different, overlapping responsibilities while being cooped up inside their homes. In fact, it’s been observed that at least 66% of American workers don’t have a proper work-life balance.
Couple this with other alarming statistics and it’s easy to see why professional burnout has become a common phenomenon. Many workers believe that more working hours can lead to professional success. While that’s true to some extent, it shouldn’t be at the expense of personal well-being.
A Healthy Reset
The discovery and development of a vaccine have led to the slow recovery of the world. Daily operations will soon return to some degree of normalcy once a mass rollout has been realized. One thing that is expected to remain in the post-pandemic era, however, is the work-from-home setup.
While returning to the office is still inevitable, many companies are considering creating hybrid models incorporating remote arrangements. This will allow some degree of flexibility for a lot of professionals. It can also serve as an avenue to let go of the unhealthy patterns that they picked up during, or even before, the pandemic.
Here are some ways to increase productivity in light of this new professional setup.
Home Office Views
The visual environment can have a significant impact on an employee’s performance. When the pandemic hit, a lot of people didn’t necessarily have the luxury of having a proper home office. Many of them had to improvise makeshift offices using dining chairs and coffee tables in the corner of a room.
As remote work becomes the new norm, consider investing in a home office with a view as well as the appropriate equipment. If you wanted, you could even switch it up and work outdoors from time to time. Seeing natural landscapes can help reduce stress and fatigue from staring at a screen all day. Just make sure to have a pocket-sized sun stick at the ready for those extra sunny days.
Out-of-Work Mind
A lot of employees spend too much time worrying about their professional lives. Their focus is set on promotions, pay raises, and similar achievements. Getting so caught up with work is guaranteed to lead to burnout in the end.
While it may not seem like it, it’s been observed that professionals have saved millions of hours per workday. This is because commuting and other pre-work-related operations have ceased. It also means that you should have more time for personal growth and development. Challenging yourself to achieve new goals that don’t involve your work can be good confidence and performance-boosters.
Write It Down
Keeping a journal or planner is another effective way to maintain a healthy work-life balance. This daily habit of writing things down helps to engage the brain more than typing things on a screen. It’s also a proven exercise that helps to reduce stress and improve moods.
This particular method gives you an opportunity to take a much-needed breather now and then. A moment to disconnect from the digital landscape that dominates your life. It gives you a chance to plan out your own day. Reclaiming that organization over your daily operations can serve to be fulfilling. Writing also helps your daily plans, feelings, or achievements to manifest.
No More Overtime
Time management is an essential aspect of balancing work and personal life. One of the biggest risks that professionals used to do before the pandemic was to take their work home with them. Now, this issue has become bigger than ever, with employees not knowing when to log out.
Working-from-home can have the allure of letting you work in your pajamas all day. Yet, it also makes it easier for you to lose track of time because a certain sense of comfort prevails. It’s important to always track the number of hours you’re putting into your work. While it may appear trivial, this easier said than done. Take the appropriate amount of breaks and shut your device down after work.
Find The Rhythm
Freeing yourself from particular patterns is only the first step. Rather than thinking of a healthy work-life balance as an end goal, consider it more of a cycle. While the post-pandemic era promises a more dynamic professional life, there is still a lot of looming uncertainty.
Falling into all the anxiety can instantly dismantle the delicate balance you worked so hard to achieve. If circumstances change constantly, your patterns should also be adaptable. Always take the time to find healthy outlets and coping mechanisms that you are comfortable in.