10 Ways to Practice Remote Work-Life Balance

Rush planning. Revisiting protocols.  Adaptation.  REMOTE WORK.

This isn’t just work changing in response to a health crisis, this is living through work life getting flipped, remixed, and switched up at the speed of light.  This is work in the time of a pandemic. It’s time to talk all things remote work-life balance.

Author’s Note: I want to clarify that I am writing from the perspective of a 9-5 (give or take) job typically performed within an office that has now implemented work from home (WFH).

But guess what?  Even when we are past the COVID-19 pandemic (and we will get past this), work and work management will be changed forever. While I’m not psychic, my human resources background could easily foresee more companies leveraging remote work more frequently.  Gallup found that there is a positive correlation between engagement and productivity for remote workers and, if you know business, worker production and bottom-line are everything.  So while you may not have to always balance Zoom calls with your kids, partner, or your pet, there will likely be a shift toward telework. Those who can demonstrate that they can work effectively in this space will have an advantage.  Before I get to the tips, let me share my experiences with remote work (pre and post-coronavirus).

My story with remote work

In my days in HR, I’ve worked in an office for various companies with the options for remote work.  For one start-up company, flexibility was already embedded into the culture as everyone used a laptop, phone calls were in the cloud, and staff were dispersed.  At another company, remote work gradually became a norm, but the prevailing culture was to work within the office. 

Now I am a Millennial, an introvert, and someone who thrives from my own space, so I’m all about the remote work life and my productivity was always 1000% higher. However, when the coronavirus changed the game, even I had to think about how to create boundaries to split up the day.  Where I may have had evening plans or activities to signal the end of the workday, the day is one continuous day.

Speaking of which, what day is it again?  Props to you if you didn’t have to quickly check your calendar for the date!  Below are 10 quick tips that have helped me not only survive remote work but thrive and establish clear parameters to stay organized (and sane!)

Well at (Remote) Work: 10 Tips

Schedule and seize the day 

You know how we visualize our dream vacations or an enjoyable experience? The image often becomes so clear and vivid that we feel excited and energized about it. The same principle can apply to our work day. I get it–there are many aspects beyond our control in the day given the varied nature of supervisors, coworkers, and life. Regardless of whether yu have meetings, micromanagers, or free rein, you want to go into it with a clear agenda and vision of what a successful day can look like for you. Is it accomplishing measurable progress on two deliverables? Is it active participation in a meeting? Whatever it is, envision what a happy outcome would look like and strive toward that. Even if it doesn’t happen exactly as envisioned, you have established control of something that you do own: YOUR MINDSET.

Spice up your space

Plants. Decorative accent pillows. Colorful mug. Music.

Whatever you choose, add some flavor to your workspace. It doesn’t matter whether you are working at your kitchen table, on the floor of your bedroom, or if you have a dedicated office at home. You can customize your working area to add color and spice, which will do wonders to elevate your mood.

Work with Style

By now, we’ve been hearing that some folks have relaxed on showering. While that won’t ever be me, do you! What I’m talking about is when working from home or another remote location (post-COVID), no need to relax or sacrifice your style.

Now I’ll admit, I have been making outfits multipurpose. Say I plan to have a midday workout. I might rock my fitness attire but throw on a nice sweater to give me a nice hybrid look, particularly if I have a video or conference call. Even with nothing, style helps with the overall feel of the day starting and having a natural ending. Rock your suit if you want but even starting with one separate (i.e. blouse/shirt and accessories) makes a world of difference!

Identify & leverage your remote resources

You don’t have to have the most grand workspace.  Many of my years were spent working in my bedroom or in the kitchen, so don’t let that get you down.  However, take inventory of what you have. Magic can take place in any shape or form—you make the space not the other way around.

Get creative

Speaking of resources, there will be some things that you may have been accustomed to within an office that you simply don’t have. For example, when I last worked in an office I had a standing desk and dual monitors. Obvs, in my world of freelance, I am not spending the money on that. So, DIY here I come. Many household items can be used to elevate a laptop if you don’t have a riser. I make use of a smaller dry erase board and agenda and notepads to help with needing to cross-reference items. There are many virtual apps to also provide creative options for organization and planning. YouTube and Pinterest are also amazing resources…if you’re thinking it, someone else may be too 🙂 .

Meal plan and prep

You know the saying, “lack of planning is a plan to fail”?  When it comes to your meals, it’s true.  Now while I love being able to actually have a complete breakfast (hello cozy oatmeal or morning scramble), I will say that it is easy for me to deviate from my meal goals when I work from home. Here’s where meal planning and preparation come in. When I commuted to work, I took a lunch 90% of the time and my breakfast, snacks, and dinner were often planned down to detail of timing.

However, quarantine is unique. With all meals happening at my home and the ability to sleep in, I find myself eating various times of the day. So to combat and regain my control, I started planning out meals with focus on breakfast and dinner. I’m an overnight oats and chia seed pudding fan and those are easy to make. A dinner meal can offer leftovers for another dinner meal or serve as a lunch. Meal planning doesn’t have to be overwhelming but it does require some intention (such is life, right?) 🙂

Move your body

Movement is key! My FitBit requires me to move and get my 250 steps per hour. Admittedly, I am sometimes annoyed to get the alert but really? Perhaps it’s more telling that I haven’t moved in an hour. Particularly being in a remote setting, it’s even easier to incorporate some movement into your day without being disruptive. A short dance, a quick meditative pose, simply marching in place, whatever your body allows, do it! It makes all the difference in breaking up the autopilot nature of the day and giving your mind a short break before you resume productive tasks.

Get social…remotely

We all know the power and presence of social platforms: Instagram. Facebook. TikTok. YouTube.

Zoom. Hangouts. Slack. Teams. These are all work platforms that many a meeting or call has taken place on since adapting to COVID-19. However, you don’t have to use these platforms solely for work! I’ve been amazed and grateful for the amount of virtual offerings available. Happy hours, yoga, fitness classes, live chat, concerts, cooking demos, educational resources, the list goes on. Even if you’re shy, join in! The beauty is you can always turn your webcam off 😉

Take a Break (Be Accountable!)

I cannot stress the importance of taking breaks. While structure is key, flexibility and moments to rest and reset are equally important. Now does that mean you blow off responsibility? No. You can shift responsibility (i.e. focusing on work that others rely on you for and deferring the solo work with a different timeline). When you do that, however, it is imperative that you plan for how you will get back into the flow and hold yourself accountable to it. Does this need to be broadcast? No though for some it helps. Breaks are healthy, boundaries are essential. Breaking communication and leaving others hanging is not. You can maintain boundaries even while communicating your status.

Affirm. Confirm. Repeat

Whew! We’ve talked about a lot so far. I want to leave you with my most important tip. Affirmation and the power of it. Regardless of how you came to be working from home, the enormity of what the world is going through is major. Give yourself grace and allow yourself to feel. What helps me in my lowest moments is a positive affirmation. For example, when starting a day where work may be stressful, I might reflect on the power I have to gain insight that can help inform the future. I’ll confirm that the situation may be difficult but that insight begets inspiration and I’ll repeat it again and again. Whatever affirmation inspires you, the key is for you to find something to be hopeful for. It’s not always easy but please know you have it in you to survive.

Tying it all together: remote work is work!

The common theme you will see is that even in remote work, you must have structure, flexibility, self-belief and FUN.  While every day may bring something different (that’s life), give yourself the best chance to succeed by envisioning a productive and satisfying day and being inspired.  Just because you are remote doesn’t mean you are exempt from managers or coworkers working your last nerve, job weariness, or even that your workload will be lighter, however, you can and do have control over your attitude and how you maintain your calm and sanity!  These behaviors can provide the restart and joy that you need particularly in an era of remote work where work and life all collide within a day. 

Your turn: Committing to remote work

What action(s) will you commit to in order to better achieve work-life balance while working remotely?

For more resources, check out the working remote hub on Forbes and Mogul Millennial.

Wishing you continued safety and wellness now and always.  If you have questions or other things that work for you, share it below in the comments.  If you like what you read, please share across social (links below!) Lastly, be sure to follow me via my social media channels (@whatniaknows).