How to Balance Work and Life While Working from Home

May 5 2023

In the years since most of the world shifted to working from home, most people have found their groove. But the increased flexibility afforded by remote work hasn’t always been a good thing. In the absence of a daily commute, a lot of people have found themselves feeling increased pressure to be more productive, leading to an eroding work-life balance.

Now more than ever, it’s crucial to enjoy a balance of work and leisure to avoid burnout from remote work. And since it’s not as easy as having coworkers around you to take breaks and go to lunch with, you will have to plan your work day carefully to make sure that you are taking breaks, not working too much, and most of all, clocking out when you’re supposed to.

The good thing is, there are steps you can actively take to achieve work-life balance and avoid burnout when working from home. From organizing your workspace, to setting a routine, and staying productive hassle-free, thanks to the best, cheapest internet from Comwave, here’s your complete guide to work-life balance in remote work.

Tips for Maintaining Work-Life Balance When Working from Home

Do you find yourself working past eight hours, forgetting to eat lunch, and replying to emails and messages even though you’ve already clocked out? Habits like these have formed while working from home—and as tough as it sounds, they need to end.

It’s never too late to adopt healthy work-from-home habits. Check out our tips for achieving work-life balance when working remotely:

1. Set a schedule—and stick to it

Without the rush hour commute in the morning and after the work day, you may find yourself with a bit more free time. Unfortunately, the tendency is to fill up this time with productivity, eventually leading to feeling like you have to be available to work anytime.

To counter this, it’s important to set a schedule, and follow it. Talk to your team about your schedule to help set expectations regarding everyone’s availability. This also helps you set a routine for starting and ending your work day, and planning personal activities upon clocking out. 

2. Communicate your status

It’s also helpful to set an availability status based on your schedule. Most office communication tools, such as Webex or Microsoft Teams allow you to set your status, so your coworkers know when you’re online, offline, or busy. 

By setting a status and making it visible across your organization, your teammates will know when to schedule meetings with you or send messages and expect a reply. If they see that you’re offline, it can help prevent getting a barrage of messages while you’re eating dinner or first thing in the morning. This helps strengthen your work and life boundaries, and ensure that you aren’t working too many hours in a day.

3. Pretend you’re going to the office

A good way to get in the mindset of having clear work and home boundaries is to prepare for the work day, like you’re going to the office. Through years of working from home, it’s easy to find yourself foregoing your morning routine and just sliding into work directly.

And while it’s great that you’re getting a bit more rest and time to yourself, you should try to use this time productively. It’s a good habit to start your day as if you were going to the office, complete with breakfast, coffee, and a work outfit. Sticking to your morning routine will help you mentally prepare for the work day and create clear boundaries between home and work.

4. Set up your home office

Camping out on the couch in front of the TV or even in bed probably worked for the first few days of working from home. But years later, you’ve likely realized that it’s not sustainable. Instead, you need a dedicated workspace for working from home that’s free of distractions, so you can stay productive while at work.

And the best part? You don’t even need an entire room to convert into a home office. As long as it’s an area that’s distinct from the rest of your living space, that would suffice. The important thing is to set it up for productivity, complete with a sturdy desk that has space for your essentials and an ergonomic chair that will keep you comfortable while supporting your posture. 

You can also decorate the area with a rug, bookshelf, and other items that make it distinct from your living room, dining room, and bedroom. This will help you feel that you’re going into the office and leaving the space at the end of the day.

5. And make sure you can stay productive in it

Don’t forget the most important part of your home office—having the best internet. Make sure your work-from-home space is in a good location that’s close to the router, so you’ll have a strong Wi-Fi signal. If your workspace is obstructed by walls or furniture that are blocking the router, see if you can move things around or add a Wi-Fi extender to boost the signal.

Staying productive while working from home means being online all day. With a fast and cheap home internet plan from Comwave, you can work remotely uninterrupted. When you’re online all-day worry-free, you can make all your deadlines and attend meetings, all without having to make up the hours, falling behind, and spending more time troubleshooting your connection.

6. Take your lunch

Since you have a schedule for working from home, make sure it includes a lunch break. When you’re working by yourself, it’s easy to forget to take a break, especially since you don’t have coworkers to take lunch with.

This is why it’s even more important to stick to your schedule. Eat a proper lunch as you normally would, so you can take a proper break. And while you’re at it, remember to eat healthy instead of simply reaching for snacks, so you’re properly nourished and ready for the second half of the day.

7. Make plans for after work

And lastly, if you’re having trouble “leaving” the office when you work from home, here’s a good way to get you away from your desk at the end of the day: make plans. Whether it’s simply to take a walk, walk the dog, run errands, or workout, put these in your schedule so you have a reason to clock out when you’re done for the day.

Making plans for after work helps reinforce boundaries between work and life, which are even more important when you work remotely. Without a strategy for getting you out of your workspace, it’s easy to lose track of time and keep working well beyond the work day. So, try this tip to help you de-stress and take better care of yourself while working from home.

Stay Productive While Working from Home with the Best and Cheapest Internet

There are many benefits to working from home, but as you’ve seen, it isn’t always easy. And now that you’ve settled into this routine, it’s important to have strategies in place to avoid burnout so that you can maintain that precious work-life balance.

This is exactly why at Comwave, we work hard to make it easier for you to work from home. We understand the challenges of remote work, so we’re here to help. We take care of one of the most important things you need to work productively—your Comwave home internet, so there’s one less thing for you to worry about. 

Comwave brings you the best internet anywhere in Canada—the fastest and cheapest home internet plans, so you can stay connected throughout the work day and avoid losing precious productive hours to troubleshooting your connection. Plus, we’re here to help you find the fastest internet speed at the cheapest price for your needs, so you’re online when you need to be, without delays and disruptions, and all within your budget.

Looking for the best internet for working from home? Check out the fastest and cheapest home internet plans from Comwave today.