Remote work: redefining your work life balance

Whether you’re newly working from home, or your normal remote work routine has been interrupted as a result of the pandemic, these tips will help you to better arrange and balance your work and family time. 

Setting boundaries

Before finding a proper work-life balance, some important steps need to be taken to establish boundaries for yourself, your family, and your work. 

1. Find a personal space to work in. Separate from your family members, chores, and where you live your personal life.
2. Set boundaries for yourself and others. Know your limits and your schedule, and communicate this with the people around you. Try to keep these work and personal time as separate as possible, and discuss these boundaries with family so they know what to expect.
3. Value your time off and recognize when you need it. Actively enjoy and embrace your time to yourself and your family. If you feel under the weather or like you need a day to recuperate, take it! You will be more productive when you get back to work. 
   
   

Balancing work and family time

Now that you have set boundaries and created an appropriate work environment, how can you make sure that you are dedicating enough time to your job as well as your family? 

1. Create a schedule (that includes breaks). When you do this, consider the schedules of others in your household such as when they typically make plenty of noise or have high internet usage. Be sure to include a proper lunch break and plan for interruptions. 
2. Arrange water cooler chats. Aim to talk with your favourite coworkers for 10 minutes each day to unwind and feel a little more connected to your peers.
3. Don’t minimize your struggles. Be honest with yourself, your family and your employer. Communicate and be realistic about what you can handle and what you may need assistance with. 
4. Make mandatory tasks fun! If cooking dinner or finding time to exercise is interfering with your family time, make it a family event! Find kid-friendly recipes, organize a game of basketball, or have a house cleaning party with fun music. Not only will this make things more fun for you, but you’ll receive some much-deserved help and get to spend time with your loved ones as well. 
5. Pre-plan distractions for your kids. If you need time with zero interruptions, have some go-to distractions ready for your kids (Netflix time, board games, homework, or drawing) to keep them quiet and content. On the other hand, you can use these distractions to sneak in some time where working in the same room as family isn't distracting for you. Light or routine work at the kitchen table for half an hour while your kid draws quietly next to you is a great way to appease your kids while you get things done.

It can be challenging to separate work and home life when everything takes place in one location. Remote work is here for the long run; embrace it. Stop waiting out the pandemic in make-shift arrangements, and start working to make it the best possible situation for you and your family. 

In order to ensure that you can stay connected during a work from home period, reliable connectivity is essential. Telna provides global cellular connectivity solutions that support businesses throughout their digital transformations, allowing them to support their employees as they aim to balance their time and work efficiently.  

How are you working to balance your family and work time? Let us know in the comments below!