How to Keep Home and Work Separate When Working Remote

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

The life of working-from-home is one that many people used to dream of but when COVID-19 came knocking on our doors and “sending us to our rooms,” many people realized it was a lot more difficult than they had ever imagined.

Back in the day, you used to leave work at work and came back to relax and chill, but now, everything makes you want to relax and chill while there is work to be done. Your bed calls to you, the dirty dishes scream your name, and your TV tells you there’s a new show on Netflix. Don’t worry; you’re stronger than this, but it will take some discipline to make the home and work life work while working remotely. We’ve got you. Look at our top tips for keeping home and work separate:

Reward yourself with some great downtime.

When you know you have a great date to look forward to or some gaming and some of the very best CBD tincture, it could be easier for you to stick to your schedule, knowing that once you’re finished, you have some great stuff waiting for you at the end of your workday.

Keep your office outside of your bedroom.

This can be challenging if you have roommates but if you can make it work, keep your office outside of your room. That bed you took your time picking out because it’s so comfortable? Well, it could be your work downfall, as it beckons you to just “come and take one nap.” Wherever your work area is, make sure that you keep it decluttered and “inspiring” so that it makes it easy to spend hours there working at your work-station.

Set breaks throughout the day.

To help you avoid burnout, it’s wise to make time for breaks throughout your day. It also helps your workflow. There comes a moment during the day when your brain just doesn’t seem to want to work anymore. If you’re feeling like that, go for a quick walk around the block. It helps if you have a pet, as they’ll make you take breaks. Or, do a guided meditation, or cook yourself a delicious meal. Whatever you do, breaks help you reset and get back to business.

Consider working half the day at a coffee shop.

Consider working a few hours at a coffee shop a day. While you could try to work there the whole day, you may overstay your welcome. Instead, consider going there for a specific block of work, so that when you’re finished, you can break up your work day to do the other half at home. Plus, it helps you to avoid going stir-crazy by being at home all day and plus, you’ll get a great cup of Joe.

Schedule your work in blocks of time.

As mentioned in the previous tip, it can help you to schedule your work. Do you have emails to send? You can set aside a block of work for sending emails. Take a break and then get on to the next thing. This allows you to focus on one kind of work demand at a time instead of trying to rush from one thing to the next and also allows you to do that pesky thing in your house that’s been weighing on your brain.

In Conclusion

Most people want to work from home, especially if their job requires specific focus on difficult tasks. This way, they are able to work without distractions—or so they think. The reality is that working from home is a lot more challenging, but with these simple steps, you can effectively achieve the work and home life balance.

From Office To Remote Working: Ensuring Your Business Can Thrive Forevermore

For many entrepreneurs during this unprecedented situation, many have realized that they can actually run a business from home. And when you are looking to build up a business or find a new way of working, this lockdown has certainly forced us all to change our mindset. We have had to find different ways of working and in fact, some have been able to make it work in their favor, far better than they thought!

For those people who have realized that they don't need a physical office to run a business anymore and are looking to set up a remote company, what are the best approaches every business owner should take on board?

Don't Neglect The Tech

Everybody is either working with a device issued to them or they are using their own laptops. As we can struggle to oversee our employees in a personal sense, we've got to protect them in other ways. When it comes to phishing scams and viruses, we've got to make sure that our employees are clued up in spotting these issues but we've got to make sure that the tech is in place. While it may be cheaper to incorporate a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policy where people use their own devices, this can prove troublesome when it comes to accessing sensitive business data. This means that we've got to invest in appropriate VPNs (Virtual Private Networks). And for many people, they don't know how to setup a VPN on a router or have any technical knowledge at all. As such, we've got to hold their hands through the entire process. But ultimately, it is our responsibility to make sure that they have the tools to do their job.

Communication Is Paramount

A lot of people feel that working remotely benefits them more than the typical office setup. For others, it can be an incredible shock to the system. This is why you have to make sure that your abilities to communicate with your team are better than ever before. Giving your employees the numerous options to communicate, whether this is through email, instant messenger, or the old fashioned phone call, your employees need to feel that they are in the loop. As people that work remotely can feel isolated, you've got to work doubly hard to include everyone.

You Need In-Person Meetings On Occasion

And while you can improve your abilities to communicate you can't underestimate that people need human contact. Look to those companies who have been working remotely for years. They work hard keeping everybody in the loop but they also make sure that everybody meets up once or twice a year, either for team-building exercises or as a way to enjoy some quality time together. This can help employees to see the bigger picture but it also works wonders for morale. When employees work from home full-time, there's a lot of positives but when you remove the option of an office, a lot of employees can miss that human contact.

While many businesses are, no doubt, considering remote working forevermore, and have yielded positive outcomes as a result of the current situation, you may have to put a lot more work into it further down the line.

Taking The Next Step With A Home Business: What To Think About

Many businesses start from home, and it can often be the ideal scenario. Working from home gives you a chance to work on your ideas, fine-tune different things, and work at your own pace at times that suit you. But as your business progresses, so will your need to think about what might be the next step?

With that in mind, here are some of the situations and things to focus on to help you progress your home business to the next level of success.

Image source - Pixabay - CC0 License 

Upping your social media and business presence

One of the first things that you could consider would be to increase the digital presence your business has. We all know that there is huge power in building an organic audience and an engaged following, so you now need to grow that and build upon it so your business can reap the rewards. It could be that you need to change your social media strategy and the type of content that you share. Or maybe it is time to start thinking about mixing the content up so that you can encourage people to do business with you. 

Coming out of the home and into a business location 

Another thing that you could consider would be to come out of the home altogether and take that big step into a business location and premises. There could be different options that you consider, such as a place-based around needing storage, a shop where you can sell products, or a nice location to meet potential clients and customers. A look online will help you figure out if you can rent a commercial property and can also help you to determine things like leases, budget and any other considerations you may need to make. 

Expanding your products and/or services

Maybe the time is right to start thinking about expanding your products and services, and this can be an excellent way to make the most of popularity or an increase in digital presence through social media. There might be a natural expansion you can make, or it may mean introducing completely new products and services. But it could be the ideal way to grow your business and continue on the path to success. 

Outsourcing certain aspects of your business

Finally, when you start at home, you are responsible for every aspect of your business, and so it can become all-consuming when your business grows and you may not have the time to complete every task. This is when outsourcing can help. Think about areas of your business that might not be your strong point. It could be accounting, IT management, or website development, for example. There are dedicated agencies and individuals that work freelance that could take on those tasks and dedicate time to them. Helping you to focus on the areas of the business that you can make the most difference. 

Let’s hope these tips help you to take the next step with your home business.