Perhaps you don’t realise that you might already be struggling to balance your work and personal life. Despite the many benefits of remote work, one of the main struggles remote workers face daily is setting boundaries between work and personal life. Due to the blurred lines between work and personal responsibilities when working remotely, it’s extremely easy to get caught up in both personal and work-related tasks throughout the day. Therefore, drawing a clear line between the two can be quite challenging.
There is a responsibility for the employer to promote a culture where work-life balance is upheld. In some countries, such as France, Luxembourg, Portugal, and a few others, there is legislation preventing employers from reaching out to their employees after 5 p.m. (employees’ right to disconnect1).
As with much in life, the researchers believe that a problem shared is a problem halved, and having a discussion about work-life balance with employees can help managers get more out of their team because they can co-create solutions to the inevitable challenges.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/adigaskell/2023/02/07/its-important-for-remote-work-to-maintain-boundaries-between-personal-and-professional-lives/
In this article, I would like to focus on the employee’s perspective and explore how to establish clear boundaries between work and family life.
Awareness
It is important to be aware of what is work-related and what is not. When you’re about to do something during your working hours, always ask yourself, “Is this related to my work?” The same applies when you’re doing something work-related outside of working hours: “Is this interfering with my personal life?” It might seem difficult to stay mindful of this distinction at first; however, the more you practice, the easier it becomes.
Self-discipline & switching off
This closely ties in with awareness. When you’re at work, try to minimise personal distractions. This can be as simple as not checking your personal email during work hours. The same applies in reverse too. When you’ve finished for the day, switch off your work equipment, such as laptops and mobile phones. However, this might not always be possible if you’re required to be on call for emergencies (e.g., disaster recovery). In such cases, it’s worth reviewing your employment contract.
If you’re using the same computer or laptop for both work and personal tasks, consider closing communication channels like Slack and Teams, or using your status settings to appear offline.
Dedicated space
It would be helpful to allocate a dedicated space, even just a corner in another room for work when working remotely. The idea is to minimise distractions, even if they can’t be fully avoided. This concept shouldn’t stop at physical spaces. If you’re using the same computer or laptop for both work and personal use, and you’re on Windows2 there’s an option to create multiple desktops. You can configure these desktops to separate work and personal activities, which helps you stay organised and boosts productivity. Mac users can achieve a similar setup using Spaces in macOS.3
Dedicated time
Setting aside dedicated time for work whether it’s a series of shorter hours spread throughout the day (e.g., due to meetings or managing remote teams across multiple time zones) or a few large blocks will help you stay focused and become more productive. It’s important to discipline yourself to work as efficiently as possible within those set hours. You should also set aside dedicated time for personal tasks. The key is to find a balance that works for you. Once you’ve determined what suits you best, make sure to communicate your plan clearly to your team and manager to avoid confusion or misunderstandings.
Work & personal to-do list
You can use separate to-do lists to stay focused on both your work and personal tasks. Having distinct to-do lists helps you avoid distractions and maintain clarity. If you’re not currently using a to-do list, consider trying Todoist. Todoist is free to use and offers powerful features for task management, time management, and more.4 I’ve been using it for years, and in my opinion, their free plan is quite generous. 😉
Take breaks
Taking breaks refreshes your mind and can help you generate new ideas. Breaks can also support your physical and mental well-being, expand your knowledge, or help you stay on top of personal tasks that don’t require much mental effort. Just remember the purpose of a break is to give yourself a real pause (Don’t use this break to get distracted with something else, such as social media).
Avoid speaking about work or thinking of work when not working
It’s important not to think about or discuss work when you’re off the clock. When working from home, it can easily become a habit to bring up work with your partner or family, for example, over dinner. Unless it’s something that’s genuinely worrying you, there’s no need to discuss work-related matters during quality time with your loved ones.
In a Nutshell
Setting boundaries when working from home can be challenging. Balancing your personal and work life is an art unique to each individual. However, employing the right strategies, such as self-discipline and awareness, can help remote workers thrive professionally while also flourishing personally.
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