Working From Home: The Grass is not Always Greener
Business Technology | June 8, 2012
Commuting to the office is a drag, and those that do it every day envy people that get to work from home. They don’t have to endure the hassle and cost of a commute. They don’t have to cope with a co-workers annoying habit of singing at random and they don’t even have to get out of their pajamas if they don’t want to.
The grass is always greener right. But the truth is, people who work from home have their own list of issues to manage. The main one being that it’s hard for them to stop working. When your work place is also where you rest, it can be difficult to transition. It’s not unusual that these people start working and then 11 hours later find that they are still working.
However, there are things that individuals who work from home can do to remedy this for their own mental health.
- Set up a time for your “close of business”: And stick to it. Be it 5 p.m. or 8 p.m. you should resolve to shut off your computer and close your office door for the night. Resist the temptation to write one more paragraph or make one more sales call. Also, be sure that your workday is a normal 8 or 9-hour day.
- Do something for yourself: After you shut down your computer for the day, make sure you do something for yourself. This will help your mind transition between work and your personal life. It doesn’t have to be something grand. It can be watching your favorite TV show, or working out. Just be certain you do something so you “reset” your day.
- Leave the house: It’s easy as a work-from-homer to spend all of your time at home. You look up, see it’s the end of the week, and find that the only time you left your house was to run to the grocery store when you ran out of cereal. Don’t become a work-from-home shut-in. It’s simply not healthy.
Working excessively can lead to stress, which can cause health problems. This is true whether you work from home, in an office, or in the field. So, the secret is to find a balance between personal life and work. If you can’t work from home and find that balance, it may be time to return to an office environment. At least then, when they turn off the lights in the office, you will know you have worked long enough.
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Commuting to the office is a drag, and those that do it every day envy people that get to work from home. They don’t have to endure the hassle and cost of a commute. They don’t have to cope with a co-workers annoying habit of singing at random and they don’t even have to get out of their pajamas if they don’t want to.
The grass is always greener right. But the truth is, people who work from home have their own list of issues to manage. The main one being that it’s hard for them to stop working. When your work place is also where you rest, it can be difficult to transition. It’s not unusual that these people start working and then 11 hours later find that they are still working.
However, there are things that individuals who work from home can do to remedy this for their own mental health.
- Set up a time for your “close of business”: And stick to it. Be it 5 p.m. or 8 p.m. you should resolve to shut off your computer and close your office door for the night. Resist the temptation to write one more paragraph or make one more sales call. Also, be sure that your workday is a normal 8 or 9-hour day.
- Do something for yourself: After you shut down your computer for the day, make sure you do something for yourself. This will help your mind transition between work and your personal life. It doesn’t have to be something grand. It can be watching your favorite TV show, or working out. Just be certain you do something so you “reset” your day.
- Leave the house: It’s easy as a work-from-homer to spend all of your time at home. You look up, see it’s the end of the week, and find that the only time you left your house was to run to the grocery store when you ran out of cereal. Don’t become a work-from-home shut-in. It’s simply not healthy.
Working excessively can lead to stress, which can cause health problems. This is true whether you work from home, in an office, or in the field. So, the secret is to find a balance between personal life and work. If you can’t work from home and find that balance, it may be time to return to an office environment. At least then, when they turn off the lights in the office, you will know you have worked long enough.
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