Burnout, Self-Care, Self-Love
Do you work from home? If so, you’re not alone. A study from the US Census shows that nearly eight million people work from home. Technology is making it easier for people to do everything traditionally done in the office from the comfort of their homes.
Working from home gives you the added perk of saving time spent doing your hair and makeup, commuting and chatting with your co-workers at the water cooler.
However, there’s a downside to remote working: burnout.
In this article, I’ll be sharing some challenges of remote working and tips for improving your work/life balance when working from home.
Work/Life Balance: Working from Home vs. Working at the Office
Modern women are expanding their roles from traditional caregivers to doctors, CEOs, and more. However, this role expansion can expose you to signs of burnout, as you struggle to balance your work life with your personal life AND self-care.
Working from home, especially, can present the following obstacles when maintaining a healthy work/life balance:
- You’re exposed to more distractions at home in the form of unopened mail, clutter, ringing doorbells, and children playing outside
- Separating your home life and work life is difficult when both share the same space
- You can start feeling isolated if you work from home with limited social interactions
- A combination of these challenges and more can lead to burnout
Do you work from home and struggle with something else? Let me know in the comments below.
My Work/Life Balance System
Here are systems I personally use that you can apply in your own life to stay burnout-free.
Ease Into the Morning
Before I begin my workday, I give myself an hour to center myself and engage in my spiritual practices:
- Diffusing essential oils
- Meditating
- Reciting affirmation cards
- Journaling
These practices help me to greet the day at my own pace. Instead of rushing, I enjoy the morning silence with calm intention. This is why I rarely schedule early morning appointments with my clients. Before I give my time away to others, I first give time to myself.
Even Though I Work at Home, I Still Have Work Hours
My secret to staying productive is sticking to a set work schedule.
Imagine working only when you felt like it?
I don’t think I’d ever leave my warm cozy bed! Sticking to a work schedule helps you “leave home” to start the workday.
If you’re wondering how to structure your day working from home, here’s what a typical workday looks like for me…
> 8:30 AM- Work begins with answering emails, handling urgent tasks, and taking client appointments
> 12:00 PM – Take a lunch break
> 1:00 PM – Continue working
> 3:30 PM – Exercise and get my heart pumping
> 4:30 PM – Continue working
> 6:30 PM – Dinner and relax with my husband and cat
Structuring your day helps you stay intentional when it’s time to work, be with family, and wind down. Having a plan for navigating your day helps you create more balance and protect yourself from burnout.
What does your work from home schedule look like? Are you an early bird or do you prefer to work from the afternoon into the evening?
A DO NOT DISTURB Sign Keeps Me Focused (when I use it)
My biggest distraction is my husband, who likes to visit me while I’m working (and when he’s not traveling). When I’m on the phone with a client, I have to signal to him that I can’t talk right now.
If your spouse or small children are at home while you’re working, consider putting a sign on your office door that says DO NOT DISTURB.
This small tip can make a huge difference. It reminds your family that even though they’re home and relaxing, you’re still “working at the office.”
I Set Alarms to Keep My Day Flowing
Working from home, you don’t have somebody to tell you when to work on something else or to take your breaks. You’re responsible for that.
And when you’re deeply focused on work, it’s easy to forget!
That’s why I set alarms for everything — when to take breaks, respond to emails, prepare for a client call, and when to end the workday.
This little alarm helps me fend off burnout by helping me balance work, self-care, and relaxation.
Set a Strict Cut-off Time for Work
Striking a healthy work/life balance can be difficult when your home and work share a space. This makes it easy to sacrifice relaxation to sneak in a few email responses or get a headstart on tomorrow’s workload.
That’s why I set a strict cut-off time for work. I know that whatever tasks come in during the evening can wait until the morning. Until then, I dedicate my time and energy to quality time with my husband and cat.
If you’re still having trouble “leaving work,” try going outside for a walk. When you step outside, imagine you’re leaving the office and when you return, imagine that you’ve arrived at home. Also, creating a designated work area that you physically leave makes separating work from home easier. These extra steps can help prime your mind and body for relaxation.
Do you have any other tips to share with your fellow home-workers to help them achieve better work/life balance? Leave them in the comments below!
Self-Love is Critical to a Healthy Work/Life Balance, Especially When Working from Home
Working from home can save you tons of time that would otherwise be spent on commuting and engaging in office gossip.
If you’re a workaholic and recovering perfectionist, like me, then it’s easy to use that time and dive into more and more work.
However, devoting too much of your time to work can tip your life out of balance. Instead, give that time to the other areas of your life — family, relationships, health, and most importantly self-care.
Caring and loving your body is the catalyst that sparks positive change in your life. That’s why I want to share a special challenge with you: my free From Burnout to Balance 7-Day Self-Love Challenge.
During these 7 days, we’ll look at what’s really going on beneath the signs of burnout and I’ll give you simple strategies for how to turn things around so you can get on the path towards balance and enjoying your life (again).
If you’re ready to break out of the burnout cycle and desire to be…
- Relaxed and confident, knowing you’re tending to the most important priorities
- Energized, clear and focused
- Calm, easy-going and peaceful
- Sleeping like a baby and waking up rested
- Engaged, inspired and passionate about your life
Join me by clicking here to sign up for my next From Burnout to Balance 7-Day Self-Love Challenge. It’s Free!
Burnout, Self-Care, Self-Love
Do you ever feel like your life is spiraling out of balance?
When you experience success in one area of your life, you may neglect other areas of your life if you’re not mindful.
For example, spending too much time in the office can reduce the time you can spend at home with your spouse and children.
Or perhaps you’re making strides in your career and relationships but compromising your mental and physical well-being in the process.
Women are finding it more challenging to find meaningful balance in their lives, and you can probably relate. In fact, one study shows that working women struggle with balancing work and family due to “excessive work pressure, too little time for themselves and the need to fulfill others’ expectations of them.”
If that study discourages you, don’t worry. I have some tips to help you thrive in both your work and personal lives.
That’s right.
You can create the work/life balance you’ve always dreamed of.
What is Work/Life Balance?
Having a healthy work-life balance means working on your career and goals, while also creating time to enjoy life.
What is your idea of work/life balance?
What are the different roles you fulfill as a modern woman?
It might be a career woman, a mother, a wife, a caregiver, a businesswoman and more.
Creating a healthy work/life balance is about fulfilling all of your responsibilities without neglecting one area of your life for too long. This balance is especially useful for keeping you burnout-free.
Why Work-Life Balance is Important for Preventing Burnout
Traditionally, women were homemakers and men were the primary breadwinners. These traditional roles are being challenged, as dual-income households are becoming the norm.
However, this creates a challenge unique to women because society often expects them to fulfill two full-time jobs as a career woman and a homemaker.
As you struggle to do it all, you begin feeling stressed, exhausted, and irritable — all signs of burnout.
My hope is that this article reminds you to pause, reflect on your life, and ask whether you’re creating a healthy work/life balance in your life.
The Benefits of Work-Life Balance
When you create a meaningful balance between your different roles and responsibilities, you introduce some amazing benefits into your life:
Experience Less Burnout
Sacrificing your well-being and relationships to pursue your career can quickly lead to job burnout. You may experience exhaustion, disinterest with your job, and isolation.
Cultivating a balance will help you rely on your relationships for emotional support and practice a self-care routine that rejuvenates you when exhausted.
Increased Productivity
Doing less work so that you can practice more self-care can actually increase your productivity.
It’s difficult to progress in your career and personal goals when you’re running on fumes. Do this long enough, and you’ll experience more than stress — you’ll burn out.
Balance work with relaxation. When you’re rested, you can better focus and perform more effectively.
Stronger Relationships
If work dominates your life, your personal relationships can suffer.
You miss your friends’ birthday parties. You and your partner go on fewer dates. You can’t take off work to make it to your daughter’s piano recital.
Striking the right work/balance can help you avoid this. You can learn how to cultivate your close relationships while pursuing your career and personal goals.
Tips for Achieving Work/Life Balance
Before we dive into tips on achieving a better work/life balance, remember to click here to sign up for my email list to receive additional advice on managing and preventing burnout.
#1 Negotiate With Your Employer
If possible, negotiate some changes with your employer to help you achieve a better work/life balance.
Ask if it’s possible to work from home a few days out of the week. This will reduce your weekly commute time and give you more opportunities to be at home with your children.
Some employers are also flexible with their benefit packages. See if it’s possible to accrue more vacation or personal time. This allows you to schedule more mini-vacations throughout the year, helping you keep burnout at bay.
#2 Use Calendar Blocking
The key to achieving a better work/life balance is time management. Calendar blocking can help you maximize the limited hours you have in a day.
When calendar blocking, you are scheduling time in your calendar to accomplish a specific task. For example, you can block off 6:00 to 7:00 in the evenings for house chores and then 9:00 to 10:00 for your nightly relaxation ritual.
Calendar blocking encourages you to be more intentional with how you spend your time. It reduces procrastination and helps you make time for your priorities — and that includes self-care. Self-care is non-negotiable in leading a healthy work/life balance and calendar blocking ensures that you make time for it in your schedule.
#3 Maintain a Morning Routine
Drawing on the previous tip, consider calendar blocking a morning routine to kickstart your day. A morning routine can encourage more balance in your life while protecting you from burnout.
Mindfulness activities, like meditation and yoga, help you practice deep breathing. Deep breathing has been shown to reduce stress, lower heart rate, and improve mood.
Exercise is also a great addition to your morning routine. You can build your strength, stamina, and endurance, which increases your energy levels — all helpful when tackling the stressful day ahead of you.
If you’re starting out, don’t add too much to your morning routine. Add a couple of activities, build the habit, and then add more if you’d like.
#4 Ditch the Perfection
A perfect work/life balance is a fairytale. There is little chance that your workweek and home life will go exactly as you would like it to.
Work may get busy and will require you to work overtime. The next week, your children may get sick, and you need to stay home to care for them.
Since you can’t be perfect, you can only do your best and stay organized. Striving for perfection can lead to burnout, as you overwork your mind and body.
Instead, accept that your priorities will shift throughout the year. The trick to a healthy work/life balance is to stay adaptable and continue to practice self-care as you juggle your changing responsibilities.
Work/Life Balance for Women Starts With Caring for Yourself
Good organization and time management will be your superpowers when achieving a healthy work/life balance.
You know what else is an important superpower to develop in order to experience work/life balance?
Self-love.
Join me for my free From Burnout to Balance 7-Day Self-Love Challenge and get my support with caring for yourself.
During these 7 days, we’ll look at what’s really going on beneath the signs of burnout, and I’ll give you simple strategies for how to turn things around so you can get on the path towards balance and enjoying your life (again).
If you’re ready to break out of the burnout cycle and desire to be…
- Relaxed and confident, knowing you’re tending to the most important priorities
- Energized, clear and focused
- Calm, easy-going and peaceful
- Sleeping like a baby and waking up rested
- Engaged, inspired and passionate about your life
Join me by clicking here to sign up for my next From Burnout to Balance 7-Day Self-Love Challenge. It’s Free!
