The lockdown policy has been extended to ensure people don’t step outside their homes other than to buy essentials. Professionals and students are looking at an extended work and study from home respectively. The Work From Home policy (WFH as it is popularly known nowadays) which was used more as an exception by most companies has now become the norm, and it looks like there may be a greater push by companies to extend the scope of this policy in the days to come. So looking at WFH as something that may become the new normal, you need to set down certain policies for yourself to ensure two things, first that you don’t get distracted (by household chores, Netflix etc) and miss your deadlines and second you do not spend all of your waking moments doing your office work. Let us take a look at what you need to do to ensure a fine balance between these two extremes.
Stick to Your Normal Work Schedule
Once you have established in your mind that the work from home day is exactly like your normal working day in office with just a change in venue, you will find yourself settling into the work routine faster. Follow your normal work schedule like:
- Wake Up at the Same Time You Would on a Normal Work Day – This automatically makes you get right into the momentum. Waking up late not only throws your whole day’s schedule out of sync but also makes you feel lethargic and unwilling to sit down and work.
- Dress up in Office Clothes – It will automatically make you feel more professional in comparison to wearing a t-shirt and track pants.
- Designate a Specific Work Area – Yet another strategy to re-create an office like work environment which ensures you can carry out your work uninterrupted (by numerous factors like television, family, pets etc). Pick a spot which is secluded and make it your designated work space, in this way you also ensure that the rest of the family is not inconvenienced by your work files, laptop etc.
- No Distractions – Set ground rules for the entire family where no one intrudes with personal or housework related queries during online classes or work hours. Set specific timings during work hours where the family can get together and enjoy lunch or a mid morning snack, a certain portion of this time can be used to finish a few household chores (this will ensure the chores don’t pile up at the end of the day).
- Utilise Travel Time – Across major cities in India, the commute to and from office usually ranges from 1-3 hours. This is basically time wasted where no constructive work gets done, so now is your chance to utilise this time saved on travel wisely. Here is a small guideline on how you can schedule your day.
For Example – If you usually leave home at 8.00 A.M. in order to reach office by 9.00 A.M. then try to start your WFH days at 8.00 A.M. (instead of 9.00 A.M.). In this way you get to capitalise on the travel time and get more fruitful working hours. It also means you complete your workload for the day earlier, giving you more quality time with your family.
Make Time for Yourself
The benefit of going to the office is that it offers you a clear demarcation line between work and home life, once you leave office at the end of the day you put all thoughts of work out of your mind and focus on your social plans for the evening. Weekends are exclusively for family and friends and work seldom intrudes. However now that you are at home the whole day due to the lockdown, this demarcation line has started blurring, and you may find yourself unable to cut off completely from office work, so much so that you may have found yourself working on weekends also. Well, you need to set these WFH policies which ensure you don’t burn yourself out completely:
- Intermittent Exercise – After every 30 minutes at the laptop, get up and walk around the room for 5 minutes, you can also do some stretches. As we mentioned, take a mid morning break to have a cup of coffee and break the monotony. Doing small chores during these breaks also helps break the monotony while ensuring you get your daily quota of exercise.
- Enforced Cut-off Time – Set yourself a specific time you will switch off from office work. It could be the usual office time or earlier (since you have utilised the time saved on commuting). Once you have decided on the time, adhere to it strictly and don’t give into the temptation to continue working. Turn off your laptop and leave your designated work area.
- Quality Family Time – Evenings and weekends are strictly family time. Spend this time talking, cooking together (of course, get everyone to pitch in with the chores), watching movies, playing board games etc.
Follow the above guidelines to ensure you get the perfect work-life balance and most importantly enjoy spending this quality time with your family. Stay Safe.
