Working-from-Home and home life.

3 smart money moves that make to beat the State Pension

How to Separate Home Life from Working-from-Home Life

1. Have a Separate Office Space

Yes, sure, the most obvious thing I knew was to have a “dedicated office space” because that is what everyone says.

Why this is important for me, is not to lessen home distractions, but to have a physical space in which I can then physically leave at the end of the day.

Physically moving my body from “work” to “home

– and then not co-using that space for anything else – helps create an energy flow that most people experience when they physically leave their in-office jobs at the end of the day.

2. But Find What Feels Good

I initially assumed I had to separate all the things.

Turns out, I don’t have to do anything. And in fact, separating work and home entirely does not work for me.

At least, not every day.

Some days, my energy vibration at work is high and positive and I kick so much butt in my dedicated work zone with my dedicated work things. I feel powerful.

Other days, my energy vibrations might be lower, or just different, and so I have learned to honor and respect those days by allowing myself to be in the space that feels good and do/wear/use the things that feel good.

Because that, my friends, is the only way to be relaxed and productive in any space

3. Have a Version of transitional Space & Time

Transitional space is a way for me to reflect on the ‘end’, be present in the “now”, and welcome the “beginning” of all phases throughout the day.

Just as many people have their commute time to and from work, I have my transitional time before and after work.

This is crucial to protecting my mental energy and ensuring that I am present in all moments through my day and can properly drive attention and focus on one area at a time.

This changes from day to day, but I typically like to spend 15 minutes to an hour engaging in something to honor my current space and energy and then transition me into the next phase of my day.

·         Morning Yoga

·         Daily Planning

·         End of Day Reflection

·         Song and Dance

·         Trail Run

·         Reading

4. Have Emotional Vibration Check-Ins Regularly

I have found this to be most helpful.

Without the social interactions of coworkers and the “how are you doing” check-ins from friends, I had to learn to do this for myself.

While it may seem like such a small thing, I know that if I had to admit the number of times I’ve asked myself, "How are you feeling right now?" or "How did you feel about that?" It would be sad to admit.

Doing this has helped me process my work stress, reflect, and see good things in myself and my days, and it has given me the resiliency needed to face daily challenges.

Most importantly, it has minimized the frequency of work emotions seeping into my home life.

5. And Don’t Forget… Set All the Boundaries!

I am pro-boundaries.

So pro-boundaries, in fact, my manager once commented on how admirable my commitment to my boundaries is.

As a meme I once saw so eloquently put it: “I create boundaries to respect myself. Not to offend you.”

·         Availability.

·         Daily routines.

·         Process.

·         Deadlines.

·         Communication.

·         Accessibility.

·         Capacity.

And so on.

What I do for myself does not mean I do not care for others or that I am not a team player. It means I care about myself, too.

Remote Workers Face Their Own Sets of Challenges

Lack of boundaries.

Over-working.

High accessibility.

Loss of context.

Because I both work and live out of my home, I sometimes feel as though I am always working.

I have struggled to set boundaries when I first started working remotely.

I’ve expended too much emotional energy and have caused strains on my mental energy because I was unable to separate my home-life from my work-life – or better yet, live balanced within the two.

Since then, I’ve found a balance and a regime, unique to me, that allows me to continue to show up for work, without giving up all of my energy, fully present, feeling good, and ready to tackle all things in my path.

While still leaving me plenty of energy, time, and mental space for other areas outside of work.

Working remotely has presented me with lessons not just in separation, boundaries, and work/life balance, but also in protecting my energy, space, and time.

It’s something that will continue to present challenges and I am a little more open to facing them with each day that passes.

Now, I know I can navigate these challenges with a little more ease.