How To Balance “Work From Home” and life?
Initially, when the concept of work from home was introduced, it excited everyone of us. But like all concepts, it quite did not hold up in the real world. Tweaks were needed and that too in plenty.
Suddenly when the world came to a standstill and we were forced to sit at home and complete our work.
The idea had “Winner” written all over it.
• Zero transportation costs
• Zero minutes spent traveling and returning from work.
• Working from the comfort of your house.
• Unlimited toilet breaks and no worries of encountering a dirty washroom.
Unfortunately, these were more hollow than the promises made by the politicians of better days every election.
Soon, we got to know that the problems were too many with this concept.
• Managing time, yes you read that right. You thought you would have plenty of time, but unfortunately, it went the other way round. The amount of work increased and finding “me” time became really tough.
• Zero social interaction, for meeting people you need to step out and that is not a good idea, and as you are working from home, your boss feels you have all the time in the world and gives you tasks more than Corona takes lives.
• Working in a team and asking for help from your colleagues, for in your house you are alone and yes you can always call up a friend, but nothing beats physical interaction. Which results in more time taken to complete tasks.
• Switching off, for before once you stepped out of your office, meant leaving work on your desk and it was about spending time with your family and friends. Now your home is your office and the line between personal and professional has become blurry to the ultimate extent.
As you can see and have probably experienced, it is not easy at all. But then again you do not have any other choice, for the bills have to be paid and the stomach has to be filled. So ‘Work from home’ has to be done.
But wait that does not mean you have to get dark circles, obesity, and depression. We are human beings and we are known to create.
So why not incorporate a few of my ideas.
• Make a separate workstation, even if it’s a small table, keep it for work only, consider that your office. Do not look at it, until the next day. If possible have a separate laptop or a pc for work.
• Get a hobby, growing up we all enjoyed painting, sewing, and even cooking. Well now is the time, get a drawing copy and a bunch of crayons, and draw a horrible looking parrot or elephant.
• Read every night, for reading, will take you to places and introduce you to people you have never been to or met. Rather than getting an OTT subscription, subscribe to e-books, read the classics.
• Workout, your body needs it. Sedentary jobs do more harm than good. Get off that sofa, make use of those extra minutes, and do some stretching.
• Learn something new, a new language or music. Get your brain to focus on things other than work and life. Pick up a ‘Ukulele’, it is one of the easiest instruments to master. There are free lessons online, use them.
No matter who says what, the writings on the wall. The world will take time to get back to its normal mode. Until the time it does, you have to make do with what you have. And to make do with what you have, you got to take care of yourself, create a balance between work and life. Yes, now going out, meeting people is not possible and work is just piling on, but then again little changes can make this “pandemic” and “lockdown” fun if you do it right.
