Due to the changes brought about by the national lockdown, many people have found themselves working
from home for the first time. Finding the balance between your work and home life can be difficult when the first thrust into this situation. What are some ways that you can keep work in its proper place?

It is very important that your family respect your work obligations and work time. Just because you are working from home, does not mean that you are available to your family 24/7.

Your employer is paying you for the time you are meant to be working. If your family members keep distracting you, that is effectively stealing time from your boss.

It is important that families discuss the new rules around your work situation. If you have young ones in the family, you might need to repeat this discussion from time to time.

Just because you can work all hours of the day, does not mean that you should. You have other important
things to deal with that could be neglected if you focus solely on work: your own health, your family’s needs and household chores that need to be attended to.

Try to treat remote work like your regular office work. Every morning, get dressed, work from a designated area in the house, take breaks (only when you normally would during the regular workday) and “head
home” at the end of the workday. If you treat your work professionally, then your family will follow your
attitude and do the same.

If your eyes are glued to a tablet or phone all day unnecessarily, this could be damaging your relationships
at home. Your partner may feel neglected and even begin to resent the time you have to use your device for work.

By being aware to not use your phone for work purposes outside of work time, you will reduce this stress for your partner. In general, we tend to look at screens too much. Be sure to take regular breaks (which will be good for your eyes, neck and back). Be aware of the people around you, and even if you are legitimately busy on your device, try to regularly look up to see what is going on.

Source: https://debtfreedigi.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Debtfree-Magazine-Issue-6-of-2020.pdf