Maintaining Balance When Working from Home

How to Be Both a Productive Work at Home Professional and Family Member

Working from home seems like a luxury to most people – sleeping in, working in pajamas and having an office on the couch sounds like bliss. But in reality, working in a home office takes a lot of discipline both as a professional and family member. Maintaining a work-life balance can be difficult for anyone, and even more so for those who work at home. Here are some tips to help home office professionals make the most out of their personal and working lives.

Weigh Benefits and Downsides of Working from Home

For those professionals who are considering moving to a home office, it is important to evaluate both the advantages and disadvantages. Some benefits of working from a home office include less money and time spent on daily commutes, business attire not required and flexibility with family time. Although all of these advantages may seem great, it is also important to take into consideration some of the downsides home office professionals may face.

One of the biggest disadvantages of being a home office professional is less interaction with colleagues – this can bring about an “out of sight, out of mind” mentality for some coworkers making communicating with them difficult. Another great disadvantage is that work will always be there. Because of this, it is easy to worker longer hours than in a traditional office setting, blurring the lines between working time and family time.  

Maintaining the Work at Home – Life Balance

There are a few key strategies that can help maintain a great work-life balance for at home professionals. The most important is prioritizing and organizing. Whether working from home or in an office, things still need to be accomplished! This applies to family time as well –dedicate family time to family and work time to work. Accessibility is also important in a great work-life balance. Being available to coworkers and loved ones equally helps maintain stability.

Working from home can have both advantages and disadvantages for many professionals. Although avoiding the “daily grind” may seem appealing, it is important to take the downfalls into consideration as well, such as colleague interaction and holding “normal” working hours. Maintaining the work-life balance can be difficult and being an at-home professional can add additional challenges.  By prioritizing and separating family time and work time, any at home professional can be successful!

*Photo Courtesy of Bob194156 via Creative Commons License