Work-from-home strategies were all the rage in 2020, obviously. In my line of work as a small business coach and consultant, many of my clients work from home operating their own businesses just like I do.
As an introvert & total home body, I’m happy as a clam keeping to myself at home. In fact, I made radical decisions in order to design this exact life.
There are tons of lifestyle perks working from home.
Here are a few:
- I don’t set an alarm to wake up
- No commute, no traffic
- Slower mornings, I’m almost never in a rush or mad dash
- All my food and snacks are just steps away
- I get to hang with Mack all day
However, just like with all good things, there’s another side to the work-from-home coin.
I was recently explaining this to my partner who does not work from home:
All of my work, tasks, duties, to-do lists, and responsibilities happen within the same container. It takes ongoing, concerted effort to compartmentalize my work and business life from my home and personal life.
There’s nothing stopping my work and business from seeping into my home life.
If I’m not conscious about my work-day habits, I can begin feeling like my work never ends, like I’m trapped in a prison of work and tasks and shit to get done.
Think about it: when you work out of the home, it’s much easier to compartmentalize parts of your life. You can use the drive home to decompress and transition into your home life. While this doesn’t happen naturally and still takes conscious effort and practice not bringing work home with you after a 40-60 hour work week, it’s definitely easier to practice creating a work/life balance when you don’t work from home.
When you do work from home, work is always just a few steps away.
Here are 7 WFH strategies that help me avoid burn out, increase productivity, and enhance work/life balance:
- Set a work schedule and stick to it
- Build in breaks & lean into flexibility
- Bookend your days with start-up and wind-down rituals
- Get dressed and ready for the day
- Remove email from your phone
- Plan downtime, relaxing time, and lazy time
- Reassess regularly and make changes as needed