Work | Life Balance
2020 huh.. It seems this year almost everybody has had to work at home at some point. For some it only lasted a few days and is very eager to get back to the office environment but for others, work at home became a way of life. Maybe you enjoyed getting to wake up just a few minutes before your shift to enjoy your last sliver of sleep, or maybe it was the pajamas for you! Either way, I think we both agree that the positives of working at home are almost endless. If you find yourself starting to struggle with being unhappy working at home; check to make sure your Work | Life Balance is where you want it to be. This balance doesn’t just mean working and not working, it can include daily tasks that tend to get overlooked when not going to an office everyday and making sure you have quality boundaries in place over your work. If that sounds confusing to you, don’t worry we’ll be on the same page by the time we’re done here.
Work | Life Balance is different for everybody, because you can get your fulfillment from more than one “category” of your life. Just by going off of this clip art I found when looking for a visual (visual learners hollaaaa!) There are easily 6-7 different places an individual may need to put forth effort, time, and thought into each day! No wonder we are always tired, huh! The first step in finding your true Work | Life Balance is identifying which “category” is the most important for you. Not the category you wish you had more time for, or the one you wish could happen. Which one gives you the most happiness? Got it? Awesome. Now zoom in on it, this is your priority. It may not necessarily get your most time, but it can certainly get the most of your heart. If you make sure there is always time in your day for whatever it is that gives you fulfillment, your mood will be boosted. You made yourself a priority and that can have such an impact on your brain. That place in your brain will automatically feel satisfied and allow you to move on with life without the itch of something missing.
Another reason your balance is off could be your schedule. Ask yourself if your schedule has changed since working at home. Do you still wake up with enough time to get yourself prepared for the day before your first task? Are you staying hydrated and caffeinated still? Are you still getting dressed each morning, and yes leggings count! Make sure your meals don’t get overlooked. These things all seem so simple but often we find ourselves living life and going with the flow of the world. When you’re at the office you have to wear pants and brush your hair. You’re basically told when to eat your meal and get a snack on your breaks. Try to keep in mind to take care of yourself first. So do your yoga, or your morning reading time, or do your makeup every day still! If your schedule and the “normality” of that is what keeps your feeling happy don’t let laziness get in the way. It’s easy to say “ugh 10 more mins of sleep I don't even need pants for my meeting anymore” but are you going to feel the best possible for that meeting? Mmm probably not.
If you still aren’t sure why your Work | Life Balance feels off, check out boundaries you have set for your work. A boundary is simply a line that marks a limit, a place where you cut it off at and say enough. What do your work boundaries look like? Is it no interruptions while working? Or do you have to allow yourself mental time between work and home life to switch your mindset? Your boundaries can be endless (assuming they are healthy of course), and if you stick to them and inform others that may be impacted (family, friends, colleagues, etc.) you may have a sense of relief once you realize it is okay to have your boundaries off. In your work life, parent life, heck even love life, boundaries can make a world of a difference. So say no to unnecessary weekend work events if you would rather be spending your time differently, stick to your work schedule and get your happiness!! Expect others to push back on your boundaries, but make sure to properly communicate when you are at a hard no. Remember that you put the boundary there because you felt it was often crossed and maybe not everybody will understand. But, you put those boundaries there for a reason and you need to respect that for yourself before you can expect others to.
Keep in mind your balance isn’t going to look the same as others. For example, my happiness comes from family time and the time I am able to create (crafting, writing, etc.) however my husband’s comes from his businesses and then family time. We both live almost the same life, with the exception he leaves for the office each day, yet our balance isn’t the same. This is just another way to see how different we all really are from one another. Be proud and happy of your balance, it’s what makes you you! Remember it is also what makes others them, so no judging others balance. That’s why here at Work at-Home Equipment Solutions we think it is time to stop living to work and time to begin working to live. As the free lance and work at home community evolves, we will be too. WAHES is dedicated to meet your work at home needs.
**If you don’t follow these things and have nothing to complain about in life and are happy with where you are, that is AWESOME, remember people require structure in different ways. Everybody is different, what works for one may not work for another. But keep this in mind, if you’re unhappy with your work at home life; you can’t expect change if you don’t start it.**