Rachel Parnes* says work-life balance matters more than ever in a remote/hybrid world.
Why are we feeling more burnt out going into this holiday season?
Well, there are many reasons. Some personal, some collective.
But for many of us, work-life balance this year was just not… balanced.
Maintaining a healthy work-life balance was hard enough when we worked in an office, but at least we had the opportunity to “turn it off” after the workday was done.
The lack of a physical division between our work-life and our life-life since we started working remotely makes it very difficult to draw mental boundaries.
It turns out, work-life balance is also more important than ever when working at home.
Burnout happens fast when you’re never “off of work.” And burnout doesn’t just threaten the quality of your work — it can derail your life.
If we’re all going to manage to work from home in 2022 and beyond, then we’re going to have to learn (and re-learn) how to prevent work from maintaining a constant presence in the background of the other aspects of our lives.
As you consider your own New Year’s resolutions this year, maybe think about bumping work-life balance to the top of your list.
Here are a couple of good steps to take if you’re serious about getting a handle on work-life balance in 2022.
Set boundaries — as in, REAL boundaries
In his invaluable course on “Balancing Work and Life,” author and leadership coach Dave Crenshaw calls this “the line in the sand”:
“The line in the sand is that time when you’re going to stop work and start your personal life each day.
“Some people pride themselves on their ability to work ‘as long as it takes,’ working long hours.
“This misses out on a great opportunity: to build systems to be more productive.
“My personal line in the sand is 5pm.
“Your start and stop time can be different; the point is you have a commitment to a particular time, and you stick to it.”
Creating this line in the sand is crucial for separating your work and personal life, and therefore preserving your personal life.
As Crenshaw notes, drawing your own personal line in the sand every day will help you feel more rested, more alert, more focused, and, ultimately, more productive when you ARE at work.
We recommend you take this “line in the sand” idea to its logical conclusion when you’re working from home: make it a LITERAL line.
Set up a workstation in part of your home.
If you can, devote a separate room such as an office to your work.
If you can’t, at least designate a special section of your home as your “workplace.”
Then, when you’re done for the day, DO NOT enter that area!
Cordon it off, lock the door, do whatever you have to do.
There couldn’t be a better time to follow this step than right now.
Use your holiday decorations as a means of reminding yourself where work ends and life begins.
Then, when you’re in the “holiday zone” you can truly embrace the holiday mindset —and leave work behind.
Isolate your work hours AND your work space from the rest of your life, even if it is in your home.
Remember: just because you work from home doesn’t mean you live at work.
Talk to your co-workers
For those working remotely, one of the biggest reasons work feels like life and life feels like work right now is because most of us are still separated from our coworkers.
You’d be amazed how much the little niceties and interactions we all experience in office work every day help make us feel connected and engaged.
Going without this basic level of social interaction takes a real toll over time, and it’s one we don’t even tend to notice until it’s affecting us in all kinds of little, frustrating ways.
Luckily, there’s an obvious solution.
Socialising with your co-workers is something you can work at getting better at, even in a remote setting.
One way to sharpen your skills is by watching the LinkedIn Learning course “How to Develop Friendships and Connect Meaningfully with Work Colleagues,” led by leadership author and consultant Selena Rezvani.
The course is designed specifically for remote workplaces.
The first thing Resvani admits is that it isn’t easy:
“One of the universal things about being an adult is that friendships don’t just happen on their own.
“That’s true in the office, and especially in more remote work environments.
“But here’s the thing: making meaningful friendships is something you can learn and cultivate.
“And the payoff is huge.”
She’s right: building a meaningful rapport with your co-workers takes time, especially in remote work environments.
But if you take it slow and make a concerted effort to reach out to your co-workers openly, consistently, and kindly, you will see results.
Now’s the perfect time to get started.
Ask a co-worker what they’re doing for the holiday season.
See if they have any New Year’s resolutions or exciting plans for 2022.
Take this opportunity to get to know them more.
You’ll be glad you did.
Take your PTO, even if there’s nowhere to go
This is particularly pertinent right now.
Chances are, many of us will be “home for the holidays” all season long.
And the thought process can be tempting: If you’re home anyway and your work is right there… why just sit around and rewatch holiday movies when you could catch up on a few tasks…
Here’s why: all work is work, no matter when, where, or why you’re doing it.
And work is draining.
You need to take breaks, even when you don’t feel like you should, and even if you don’t have anything to do — which means you need to take time off.
And, let’s be honest, there are some great holiday movies to rewatch, or good books to catch up on, or people or animals to snuggle.
In his course on “Avoiding Burnout,” author and speaker Todd Dewett emphasizes the critical importance of taking REAL vacations.
“Real” vacations, he specifies, doesn’t just mean physical time away from work.
It means mental time away from work.
Time spent away from the stress and expectation of the grind.
This is more important than ever when working from home, even if you can’t plan a physical getaway.
When you do take PTO this holiday season and beyond, try to make it special.
If you can’t go anywhere, do something you’ve been missing or meaning to try.
Spend the day with a friend.
Cook a really good meal.
Take a dance class! Even if this holiday season isn’t for the holidays you celebrate or you can’t think of any particularly exciting way to spend your day off, take those days off anyway!
Do whatever will help you give your mind a break and avoid thinking about work.
Trust us: avoiding burnout is best for everyone.
Leave your desk to eat your meals
Okay, going into 2022, you have another New Year’s resolution to consider: no meals at your desk.
It’s pretty common for people to eat lunch at their desks when working from home.
Similar to the above, there’s a natural inclination to think, “I’m here anyway, why not just keep working while I eat?”
This is one of the simplest and most impactful things you can change to benefit your work-life balance.
When it’s meal time, leave the computer behind.
Eat breakfast before work.
Then, whenever you usually eat lunch, leave your desk until you’re finished eating.
Even if you’re preparing and eating food at home, make sure you leave your work area for the duration.
Whenever possible, have lunch with someone.
Last year, ‘The Small Biz Lady’ Melinda Emerson hosted a course called ‘Working from Home: Strategies for Success.’
This course is chock full of helpful tips and best practices for maintaining a positive work-life balance and ensuring productivity.
One of our favourites pertains to lunch.
According to Emerson, you should prepare your lunch in advance every day, even while you’re working from home.
You should also be sure to experiment a bit with new foods or at least mix up your old standards.
Preparing and eating a creative, exciting meal in the middle of your work day will make a tremendous difference in helping you feel alive for your afternoon, particularly if you don’t eat in front of your desk!
Maintaining work-life balance isn’t just the right move for you; it’s the right move for your career, your company, and everyone who cares about you.
Especially if you’re all working from home.
Treat maintaining a healthy work-life balance like any other professional goal and crush it.
Remember, there’s no exception to the rule: we do our best work when we’re happy and rested.
Want more tips on how to stay happy in the remote work world? We’ve got great courses on the best ways to work remotely and manage your work-life balance while you’re at it.
Happy Holidays, and good luck spearheading your work-life balance in 2022!
*Rachel Parnes is Senior Marketing Manager at LinkedIn.
This article first appeared at linkedin.com.
