With your team working from home during the coronavirus pandemic, finding a balance between work and home life can be challenging. Since there are no physical boundaries between your professional life and personal life, the mental boundaries can feel nonexistent. Managing your career and a household gets difficult, especially if you have kids at home. Although you may not be able to completely separate your work and home life, there are ways to successfully integrate the two. You can use these practices to help your team do the same.

Learn five ways to make work-life balance easier for yourself and your team as you work remotely during the pandemic.

Change into Work Clothes

Dress each morning as though you were leaving your home. Although you don’t need to wear anything formal, you don’t want to be in your pajamas all day. Changing your clothes gets you into the mindset of work. This lets you be more productive throughout the day.

Maintain a Work Space

Define where your work area is. If you don’t have an office or guest bedroom, a repurposed closet or sectioned-off area will do. Make sure it’s not in your bedroom, living room, or other area that would make it difficult to separate work from personal space. Once you’ve moved to your work space, act as though you left your home. If you live with family members, let them know the space serves as your office, and you are not to be interrupted unless there is an emergency. This lets you maintain a productive work environment.

Regularly Communicate

Stay in regular contact with your team. Working from home often causes feelings of disconnection and isolation. After all, you can’t wander to the water cooler and talk with your coworkers. So, keep in touch through phone calls, video chats, Slack, or other technology. Share what you and your team members are up to at home. Swap stories about trying to virtually school kids while fitting in work. Be supportive and compassionate during your conversations.  

Schedule Breaks

Take breaks throughout the day. Get up every hour to stretch and walk around. Use extended break times to run errands and carry out appointments. Being away from your computer lets your mind rest. When you return, you’ll feel more focused and energized.     

Leave Time to Unwind

One benefit of working from home is not having to commute. However, that was likely your time to shift gears. At the end of each day, set aside 5 to 10 minutes to decompress. Use this unscheduled time to transition between work and non-work hours. Meditate, stretch, or engage in another activity that helps you relax. Use this time as the line in the sand that separates your work day and your personal life. You’ll be mentally prepared for cooking, relaxing, or participating in family activities.     

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