Flying start tips: How to manage your work-life balance working from home

Anna Reddy operates Leap Health and delivers bespoke and innovative solutions to improve the health of individuals within corporate organisations. She offers ten top tips to support a positive work-life balance when working from home.

During 2020 Deloittes stated that: “Companies who promote work-life balance are two times more productive than those who do not.” At Leap Health we truly believe that without putting your health at the heart of what you do, you will not be productive and happy in your personal or professional life. So, how do you manage your work-life balance when working from home, with both your personal and professional life under the same roof? Well, the most important thing is to “Make health a PRIORITY!” And here are my 10 top tips to get started:

1. Have a separate work space: If possible have somewhere you can shut the door to after working hours and leave alone until the start of the next working day. Try to ensure that your work things are packed away out of site at the end of the day, your desk is in another area of the room to your chill out area, or even rearrange your room slightly at the end of the day to create a different look.
2. Create a commute: Many of us are loving the amount of time we are saving from that commute. But, this time could also have been valuable in creating that mental transition to work mode/ switch off mode, it may have been time to listen to some positive noise such as radio/podcast/catch up with friends, or an opportunity to move. So create a commute, such as a walk, jog, or cycle before or after work when you can get your mind ready as you normally would to prepare for the start or the end of the working day.
3. Plan regular breaks from the screen: To protect your eyes, mind, and the rest of the body. Plan times in the diary, set alarms to remind you to take a break.
4. Have clear starting and finishing times: Make sure that these times are very visual to you and also communicate to others, so that they can hold you accountable to stick to these and know when not to disturb you. And prioritise for the next day. Avoid multitasking and put all your work away at the end of the day, so there is no temptation or reminder to work when you are meant to be switching off.
5. Become unavailable: Make sure that others cannot tempt you let work interfere with your personal life, and they do not expect a reply when you are not working. Set your out of office, Put your working hours on the bottom of your email leave your working hours on your answer machine, put a closed sign on your working area at home.
6. Move: By regularly moving throughout the day you keep more motivated, energised and productive, which will in turn help you manage your workload, and therefore avoid work spilling over into your personal life. For more information on this visit my video on Movement to Leap Health.
7. Focus on nourishing your mind: So that you can be more productive and able to switch off at the end of the day. Be mindful of over consuming caffeine. For more information visit my video on Nutrition to Leap Health.
8. Use Light: The use of light can be powerful to create separation between work and relaxation. Try to work in areas with plenty of light to increase energy and alertness. New smart lights are a good way to change light according to working time, and relaxation time.
9. Establish Work-Life Balance Norms: Co-create working norms so that it creates a culture of complying to a work-life balance. Feel confident to speak up if others do not support these values, be inspiring to each other, and share ideas about how you can continually improve on a good work-life balance.
10. Use anchors to start and finish the day: This maybe listening to a particular song at the start or end of the day, you may to box breathing to clear your mind before or after the day, or you may journal three points of gratitude.

And…. Breathe! Slow down take a few moments to breathe and realise what is important to you. Leap Health delivers bespoke and innovative solutions to improve the health of individuals within corporate organisations so that they are physically and mentally stronger to thrive in their professional and personal life.  If you would like more support at an individual, or organisational level around improving your physical and mental health, please contact Anna at anna@leaphealth.co.uk.

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