As the stay-at-home orders are lifted nationwide, it is essential to maintain a schedule that works for you. It has likely been easier to keep a work-life balance without a daily commute, early alarm clocks, or filled social calendars. As we begin to go back to work, you must remind yourself how to continue balancing your work life and your home life.
Below are some tips you can use to bring yourself back to a stable balance while being away from home and still remain present for yourself and your family.
Write It Down
The first step for tackling any challenge is to write it down. You want to create a map to remind yourself where you need to be at any given point. Life can be uncertain and unpredictable, so take the time to build the foundation and structure your mind needs to maintain positive mental health benefits. This solid foundation will increase your productivity throughout the day.
A great way to start this process is to buy a planner that is visually pleasing to you so you are more inclined to use it. Consider picking up a simple planner from the local superstore or get a custom-made planner online. As long as it’s a planner that you can identify and use regularly, you are on the right track.
Try buying stickers, colorful pens, and specialized tools to color-coordinate your planner and make it your own. You can also add in spaces where you can doodle, create lists, or write down important information. When designing your planner, it is important to consider a successful work-life balance and then visualize what to do when there is an imbalance between them.
A great tactic to separate work/responsibility tasks from self-care and personal time is to separate the two by color. For example, make all work tasks green and all personal tasks blue. This way, you can see when you are dedicating more time to work than you are committing to yourself or personal matters.
Put an End to Procrastination
Once you have created a scheduled map of where you’re going, your next enemy to battle is procrastination. Almost everyone struggles with this issue, but it is something that you can train yourself to stop doing. Knowing your direction is half the battle of overcoming procrastination.
You are now priming each day with intention, which can eliminate the need for your mind to drift and avoid decisions that take up precious time and energy. Spend 21 days following your hour-by-hour schedule as carefully as you can. Train yourself to adhere to a timetable, so you no longer allow yourself to procrastinate.
Make sure to not put off tasks like working out, meditation, or a quick walk at lunchtime to put yourself in a fresh mindset to accomplish more things at work. Continue to take time for yourself to release and debrief from your workday. Make sure that you are prioritizing your mental health throughout your daily work routine.
Avoid Multitasking
While it is impressive to juggle a lot of projects at once, science shows us that multitasking decreases the quality of our work. Create a checklist of things that you need to accomplish for the day and list them by importance. Don’t worry about your ability to complete everything — focus on the quality of the work you can do. Whatever does not get checked off the list at the end of the day goes to the top of the checklist the next day as the most critical items.
This method ensures that you will not be focused on multitasking and possibly completing the same amount of work but at lower quality. You want to dedicate all of your time to one task and give it the best effort you can, then move on to the next item on your list.
Make sure that you also remove any outside distractions such as social media, texting, internet surfing, or chatting with colleagues. There are several website blockers that you can use, so even if you are tempted to get on social media, you will be unable to. Keep your work area clean and distraction-free, as it will be too easy to pick up whatever is at hand and become distracted.
Another great way to release yourself during this time is to use the Pomodoro method and allow yourself a specific time for distraction. The Pomodoro method is a time management system that encourages people to work with the time they have, rather than against it. Using this method, you break your workday into 25-minute chunks separated by five-minute breaks. Make sure to set a timer so you don’t get lost in the never-ending abyss of social media or the internet.
Whatever system works best for you, the goal is to continue having a healthy work-life balance outside the home.
Looking for life coaching or guidance from qualified mental health professionals who can help you get a routine started? Achieve Concierge is here for you. Our expert mental health services are designed to make you a top priority. Your personal mental wellness, work, and lifestyle needs will be taken into account at every step of treatment. To schedule a consultation, call us today at (858) 221-0344.