shaina_k How are you balancing work and life while working from home
Your top tips on a healthy work-life balance
How to manage stress and anxiety while working from home
I’ve been loving working from home. For years our company didn’t allow us as they didn’t trust us (silly, I know), but we’ve all actually been much more productive. I’ve always set it as a strict rule for myself not to work out of business hours unless there’s some crazy urgent deadline (which basically never happens) and I’ve stuck to it even if I’ve been at home with nowhere to go.
I never reply or check emails in the evening or on weekends, my point being, if I don’t get paid for it, why on earth would I do that? I know that so many people feel the pressure for so many reasons, but I’ve even ‘trained’ our CEO not to whatsapp me on weekends, simply by not replying to him until Monday morning, and it worked (it took a while, but he got the message, well, didn’t ha!).
Since working from home I’ve been much more relaxed (even if my workload has increased due to people being furloughed), but not having to commute (I live in London) has simply been amazing. I’m lucky because I live in a building with tons of shared spaces, meeting rooms (and a gym), so I don’t feel stuck at home. I’m finally eating healthy, going to the gym and just feeling so good overall, considering the dire situation out there.
Overall WFH is going to become a permanent thing for my company, as most of the employees prefer it and we all work much better. With all the technology available to us we’re constantly in contact throughout the day, so it’s almost like being in the office. It has worked out well for the company as they’ll save a ton of money, as the big central London office will just be reduced to a small area for meetings.
In terms of managing stress and anxiety, I’ve never really been affected that much as I always look at the bright side of things and thing positively. A difficult time or situation will pass and it’s only temporary and we’re so empowered to make changes to our lives that stressing is just a waste of time. I know I’m lucky to be that way as so many people struggle and suffer, but I think the main thing I could advise is, look at the cause, talk to someone and do tour best to change the situation as soon as you can.
