Working from home is gratifying and a fantastic way to balance career and family, but it’s not without challenges. After 10+ years of rocking a remote-workplace model, our team has developed a few tricks to keep everything running (mostly!) on track. Here are our 5 work-from-home tips to help you maintain a healthy work-life balance.

Set Clear Expectations

Give your clients and co-workers clear expectations for when you are able to accept calls and texts. If you tend to work very late or answer calls before sunrise, you can let them know that this is a good time to reach you! Also, keep your colleagues in the loop about your projects. Then, when emergencies come up, or the day’s schedule just doesn’t go as planned, there’s always someone on your team who can assist.

Schedule Family Time

If you are like most of us, you may have other family members at home with you demanding some of your time. Sometimes, it’s hard to put them off until later or immediately stop what you are doing to address their needs. We suggest scheduling an appointment with your family member in order to manage expectations and keep you from feeling overwhelmed. It also helps to tell your family ahead of time when you need a few uninterrupted work hours. Check-in before to see if they need anything, and then visit with them again after to catch up.

Carve out a special office

When you work from home, try to create a dedicated space where you can go to “get away” from everything else in your house. This can be a challenge, especially if you don’t have a lot of extra space. But even carving out a small corner in your bedroom or living room can make a big difference.

Take a Lunch Break

Working from home has its perks, but it can also be pretty isolating. Take a break now and then to recharge and socialize. If you can, step away from your work area for a few minutes each day to have lunch. If you don’t have anyone to eat with, take your lunch to go and explore your neighborhood. Getting out and about can do wonders for your mental health, and it’s a great way to break up the monotony of working from home.

Enjoy Time Off and Disconnect

It can be tough to disconnect from work when you work from home. You may feel like you need to be “on” all the time, or that taking time off will make you less productive. But, it’s important to use your time off to rest and do the things you enjoy with the people you love.

We hope that you find these five tips helpful as you try to maintain a healthy work-life balance. At Ideal Solutions, we want to help you reach all of your goals. Consider outsourcing your digital marketing needs to make room in your day for other activities. Contact us today and let us show you what we can do.