Sometimes, you feel like a different “you” at home and at work. At work, you might be someone’s boss or employee. At home, you might be someone’s parent and spouse. It’s difficult to balance these two identities, making equal time for both of them and being there for all the people in your life.
It might be difficult, but it’s not impossible. There are ways to give equal parts of yourself to your work and home lives, but it just might require a bit of effort and planning. In the end though, it’ll be worth it; you’ll get the most out of your profession and your relationships.
1. Set and Follow Your Work Hours
It’s easy to get caught up in your job. When your engrossed in a project or task, you can find yourself working all day and into the night– especially if you’re a perfectionist. That’s why it’s best to map out your work hours at the beginning of the day and actually stick to them. This is especially true as most work from home; when your office looks the same as your bedroom, it’s difficult to set boundaries. But sticking to your set work hours will allow you to be both present at your job and present at home.
2. Prioritize Tasks
Make a to-do list and stick to it. Hand-writing a list of objectives for the day, ranked by priority, will do wonders for your productivity and will help you stay right on track. This way, you can be sure to complete your most high-priority items during your workday, so you don’t end the day feeling stressed and incomplete. Once you’ve completed your most pressing tasks, you’ll be able to enjoy time with family or friends afterwards.
3. Find Time For Your Health
In order to be present both at work and at home, you need to take care of yourself, both emotionally and physically. It’s important to get at least eight hours of sleep every night so that your brain is sharp in the morning and so you can stay focused on your tasks. You also want to practice proper hygiene, taking warm showers regularly–which the Water Heater Company in Lake View Terrace can help make possible. It’s also important to make time for exercise, and to make sure you’re eating enough fruits and vegetables per day. Not nourishing your body properly and giving it what it needs can cause you to feel sluggish and tired, and will make it more difficult for you to show up for your job and your friends and family.
4. Set up an Organized Workspace
It’s a lot easier to be productive and get things done when you’re comfortable in your workspace. Make sure your work environment has everything you need, such as a comfortable chair, a desk lamp, plenty of pens and paper, and a spacious surface. You should also make sure to keep your workspace clean, too, so that everything is uncluttered and easy to locate. When your work environment is organized, your mind will be too. This will allow you to work a great deal faster, giving you more time to be work-free at home.
5. Do Something You Love
It’s important that work doesn’t feel like a chore. If you dread logging on to your computer each morning or preparing for your commute, then it might be a sign that you’re doing something wrong. If your job leaves you feeling drained and empty, you’ll have a difficult time being there for those at home. But if your job makes you happy, you’ll have the mental capacity to be a good friend, spouse, parent, or whatever else you need to be.
Balancing your work life and your home life isn’t always easy. It requires effort and planning, and might even take rethinking and changing up some of your life choices. But loving your job and loving life at home–just loving life–might be worthy of a little bit of extra work.