Separating work from home life
Many of us are now working from home during these unprecedented times, including teachers. Which is why it can be challenging separating work from home life.
What is usually our living space is becoming our workspace, too. This means a lot of people are adapting to a work and home environment in the same place.
Here are some ideas for separating work from home life:
Structure your day
- Creating a structure means that you can effectively map out every working day.
- Try dedicating specific hours for working. This will allow you to primarily work within these hours, similar to a regular working day.
- Do what you would usually do when going to work. For example, setting an alarm and waking up at the same time as usual. This way, you can maintain a structure and working routine.
Separate work from home
- Separating work from home is important for mental health. It allows you to de-stress and create boundaries between home life and work life.
- There are many ways to separate work from home. You can remove work emails from your personal phone. This will allow you to shut off after work. Having work emails solely on laptops/computers will mean that you only check work during working hours.
- Dedicate a space for working at home. This could be a dining room table, if you don’t have a study or separate room. Working from the same space enables your work to remain consistent.
Remember to relax
- When you have finished the working day, clear away anything to do with work. Especially if it is in a communal area, as opposed to a separate study. This will allow you to switch into home-mode.
- After work, try to wind down. Do something you enjoy, it could be exercising, watching a programme or meditating.
- Try to reward yourself for working during a difficult time by recognising and acknowledging your efforts.
Separating work from home life is imperative for personal mental health wellbeing. Try to dedicate a specific working area, schedule a set time for working and remove work emails from personal mobiles. Most importantly, reward your efforts and take time to relax after work.