How to get out of that homeworking slump
The world has adopted remote working in a big way in the last 12 months. It’s had to. Working from home has a host of benefits, and many people prefer it to the office-based career’s most of us have had until now.
A survey by Eskenzi found that 91% of the working population wanted to work from home in some way. This ranged from working 100% remotely to working from home occasionally.
But it still takes work and commitment to successfully do your job from home full time. For many, the novelty has worn off a little and they find themselves in a perpetual state of ‘being at work’. So if you find that you’re always not quite switched off from work, constantly in your pyjamas, struggling to find a balance between your life and your job, then you need to take steps to get out of this slump.
Get dressed
Many successful freelancers have their own way of getting into a productive mindset for work. This often involves things like getting dressed for work or putting your shoes on.
Of course, one of the benefits of working from home is that you don’t have to dress up. No one wants to put on a business suit to sit in their house all day. Getting yourself ready in the morning is a great way to get yourself mentally ready for the day ahead. So, buy yourself a few new items like Emporio Armani for men or any of the online retailers that you like and give yourself a bit of a boost.
Start a fake commute
Rolling out of bed ten minutes before we need to log in for work isn’t the ideal way to start the day. Again, you’re eating into that work/life balance model you’re so desperately wanting. Plus, you’re probably moving a lot less, which is bad for your mental and physical health.
The fake commute is becoming popular with those working from home. They get up, get dressed, and then they go for a walk, arriving back home to ‘start work’.
Have office hours
At times, we have to put the extra hours in to hit important deadlines, but that should be the exception, not the rule. Give yourself a time that you’ll disconnect from work on an evening. Until recently, working to the point of burnout has been seen as some kind of badge of honour, which is a very unhealthy way of looking at things. Being healthy and happy outside of work will do more for your happiness and productivity levels than working yourself into the ground ever will.
Conclusion
Working successfully from home takes a lot of self-discipline. That’s because we’ve all grown up working in a more traditional environment, we’re conditioned to see things in those terms. But with a bit of planning and practice, realising the benefits of working from home on your health, your family life and your career are so worth it. It’s all about getting the balance right.
