Working from home is full of benefits: saving money on your commute, eating healthier lunches, more free time in the evenings, and increased flexibility. Whilst all of these benefits are fantastic for our mental wellbeing, it can be hard to switch off from work when your home and work environment have been blended into one. To help you switch off after you’ve spent all day working at home, we’ve compiled a list of techniques that you can implement into your daily routines for increased work/life balance.
Number 1: Establish a Routine
When you’re working in the same place you eat and lounge, it’s easy to let the hours blend into one another, and before you know it, it’s 8pm and you feel like you’ve missed the best part of the day.
So, to make the most of your day and provide some structure, make sure you’re planning enough time in the morning to eat breakfast and get dressed rather than rolling straight from your bed to your desk. Setting up a specific light setting can help set the scene too.
Maybe you use a specific lamp during your work hours that you can use to literally switch off once the clock strikes 5pm. Alternatively, you could use technology to alter the light settings of your home in order to match your routine. Perhaps you’ll have a light, open ambience during office hours before dimming the lights for a lovely evening meal. You can explore this idea further in our blog exploring Hive smart technology.
So to help you switch off after work, create a similar routine that echoes your office habits to help your brain maintain the regular rhythms of a working day instead of plowing through the evening.
Number 2: Get up and move!
It’s bad enough staying active when you’re commuting to the office, but when you only have to move five steps to reach your desk, it’s hard to keep the body active. So kill two birds with one stone, and set yourself an active goal at 5pm.
This mindset forces you to have a cutoff from work, and provides a goal for you to work towards rather than allowing yourself to work endlessly into the evening because you don’t have any cut off marker.
So grab your walking socks and your comfy trainers, and get some fresh air after work. Once you’ve moved your body and filled your lungs, your mind will likely be completely cleared of work related thoughts, and you’ll be ready to cook a delicious meal and settle in for an evening of you-time.
Number 3: Enjoy a hobby
Mark the end of your day with an activity you look forward to. This could be reading your favourite book, listening to a podcast series, or taking some time to learn digital drawing. Some of the resources we recommend include:
- Six Tudor Queens Book Series: if you’re looking for escapism at the end of the work day, this series of books by Alison Weir is the perfect solution. With drama, royalty and fantasy, these books will remove you from your working life of 2021, and immerse you in the Tudor courts.
- Apple Podcasts: from crime and mindfulness to Disney and history, there are so many podcasts available on this platform. If you’re not an Apple user, Spotify is a great alternative.
- Joel Create on YouTube: if you’re looking to develop your creativity and artistic skills after work, these free YouTube digital drawing tutorials are bound to so the trick.
By setting your hobby as the goal at the end of the day, you’ll have something to look forward to and won’t be tempted to carry on with your work past your working hours.
And there you have it! Three simple techniques that you can implement into your daily routine to help you harness that work/life balance.
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