The global pandemic has affected various aspects of our lives. Nobody expected COVID-19 to take over this year and disrupt significant aspects such as the economy, socializing, and even our careers. Many companies have stopped operating due to the dangers of this virus, which made them switch to remote work instead. While working from home may seem like the ideal option, it's not as easy as you may think. It's a real challenge to work from home while juggling your personal life, such as kids and family. In this article, we'll be talking about certain strategies to deal with working from home effectively.
Stick to a routine
Working from has its many advantages and disadvantages, and depending on what perspective you see, one of them is flexibility. It's easy to be flexible with your work, which means you'll exhaust yourself out. When you stick to a routine, your mind and body know when it's time for work and time to stop. For instance, if you set an 8-5 routine, your mind knows that it's time to relax beyond work hours. Doing this gives you a work-life balance to keep you from burning yourself out.
Assign someone
Balancing kids and work seem like an impossible struggle until you manage to get through. To balance both aspects, you need to assign someone to take care of the kids for you while you're at work. Otherwise, you may never get any work done when they're constantly running to you. If you have a partner or anyone else you can rely on to handle the responsibilities and duties while you're at work, this will help you balance working from home better.
Avoid distractions
Similar to the previous number, you can't work remotely effectively when you're surrounded by distractions. During your work hours, it's best to avoid distractions, such as using social media. We're constantly surrounded by distractions daily, so when you're working, be disciplined enough to avoid those.
Take quick breaks
It's easy to feel exhausted and burned out when you're constantly working without taking any breaks. Compared to working in an office setting, your mind associates home as a place for rest rather than work. Taking breaks every now and then is necessary to recharge your mind when it gets drained and exhausted. When you have certain deadlines to meet, even a 5-minute break can give you the energy you need. Besides, breaks also give you time to assist your family and kids' needs.
Exercise
This may seem like an odd strategy, but it works for most remote employees. Work from home can feel like a routine, which can feel suffocating at times. Exercise keeps your mindset in the right tone, especially when you do this before work hours. By the time you start working, you'll have the motivation, energy, and productivity to get things done. Even when you have kids, this ensures you have time for yourself.
Set boundaries
Even as a parent or guardian, it's not necessarily a bad thing to set boundaries. In fact, this teaches them a lot about independence and relying on themselves. Setting boundaries doesn't only guarantee balance in your work life but also in your personal life. If you have an office space, you could set up a sign that you're working and not to be bothered.
Recognize your accomplishments
Realize that there's something to be said about juggling kids when you work from home. Even with remote work alone, this is already a hard task as it is. It's challenging enough to balance every aspect of your life even before the global pandemic happened. However, remote work increases the difficulty as the aspects of your lives have merged into one.
In conclusion, I hope this article could shed insight on how to balance work from home and kids. Remember to take things easy when working remotely and not push yourself beyond your capacity. The world's situation is hard enough as it is, and you shouldn't have to exert too much pressure on yourself in handling everything, all at once. With these strategies, hopefully, you'll be able to balance everything more healthily.
