Establishing Boundaries: How to Improve Your Productivity While Working at Home

As most of us continue working from home, some people are having difficulty separating time spent working and time meant for leisure. We’ve previously written about the importance of staying mentally fit. This remains true, now more than ever, as we all face unprecedented times in the workforce.

We want to help you navigate these challenging times to avoid burning out while you work. Let’s look at a few ways you can establish boundaries between your personal and professional life, which will help you get through the daily grind.

Stick to the plan. 

It’s a good idea to enter every week with a set of expectations and a plan of attack (even if those expectations don’t always play out in reality). Prepare yourself for the unexpected, but do your best to stick to your routine work schedule. When we work from home, it’s easy to lose track of time , so giving yourself enough time to disconnect from phone calls and the computer screen is of the utmost importance. If you want to maintain a healthy mindset while you’re on the clock, give yourself the time you need to reset and refresh your brain.

Don’t fight the fatigue. 

If you feel yourself starting to wind down toward the end of the day, finish off your highest priority task or project and consider calling it a day. You know what’s expected of you better than anyone else. If you feel as though you’ve met your daily goal, try logging off and taking some time to unwind. This’ll help you wake up the next day feeling a sense of urgency and an extra boost of energy. You’ll put forth the highest quality work when you feel motivated to do a great job. Get enough sleep and understand when your body is telling you to stop for the day. There’s always another day ahead!

Understand your limitations.

Every one of us has the same amount of hours in a day. The tricky part is how you manage your time and how well you understand your limitations. Some weeks, you might be able to handle longer hours and a heavier workload, but don’t give yourself a hard time when that’s not the case. You should also know that your boundaries between work and relaxation can be adjusted anytime you see fit. Every week presents new challenges and difficulties. You don’t always need to put the pedal to the metal – just listen to yourself and know when it’s time to take it easy.

As we all adjust to this new work life, setting up boundaries between your personal and professional life can be especially challenging. Now is the perfect time to practice these steps to help you maintain a healthy mindset during work and in your spare time. Focus on improving yourself, and you’ll come back smarter and stronger than ever.