How To Achieve Work-Life Balance Post Pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic forced the hand of all who could work from home to do so at short notice.

Initially, this change of routine was challenging for managers and staff; however, after a few weeks, new practices formed, and work productivity returned to normal levels. What’s more, we’re less stressed and happier.

What’s not to love about remote working! You can rise later in the morning, and there is no need to dress up. There is zero commute time and cost, plus if you’ve got a home office, there are fewer distractions, i.e., no colleagues to interrupt you. But all this is about to change as life starts to return to normal.

The post-pandemic reopening of industry and business will see most workers return to the office albeit reluctantly. There is a glimmer of hope for teleworking as the office environment is set to change now, social distancing the new normal.

In this article, we have a few tips on how to manage the stresses of getting back to the office yet retain your vision of a better lifestyle, i.e., ‘work to live’, not live to work.

Managing Stress

A sure way to pile on the stress is to resume life as it was before the lockdown. Sleeping less, working long hours, and doing it in the office five days a week will undo all the good achieved from working from home continuously for the past six weeks or so.

Are we more productive working from home? iNews survey of 1000 workers reports 68 percent of remote workers indicated they believe they’re either as or more productive working from home.

So is it time to rebuke the old routine of working full time in the office? Yes, showing your employer remote working part of the week can be a win-win for you and the business.

Workplace

The office environment has been likened to a cruise ship during the virus breakout. Cruise ships were like Petri dishes with nowhere to escape cruise guests were destined to get coronavirus due to close confinement and sharing the same air.

Offices are similar, with workers packed into small spaces, usually joined workstations and workers no more than a meter or two apart. The new normal for workspaces will be more distancing, and this can be achieved with fewer workers in the office simultaneously.

Remote working two or three days a week will be the new normal, which will be a win-win for everyone.

With less staff in the office, businesses will see a reduction in office supplies resulting in cost savings, and for the workers, they will spend less time and money commuting to and from their place of work. COVID-19 has been the working from home experience, that has many workers hopeful working in the office five days a week is no longer a necessity.

Employers have had weeks to witness their workers achieving the same levels of productivity while in their own environment. Plus, they still have eyes on them with tracking tools like Time Doctor and video conferencing apps like Zoom.

There will always be the need for some face-to-face activity; however, it need not be every hour of work, and this change of routine is sure to improve your work-life balance.

Outside Interests

The pandemic has provided its own lessons. The most important one is that health is more important than money. Shutting down economic activity to save lives has been a wake-up call for workaholics.

Remaining in isolation at home has forced us to spend more time with family and appreciate that there is more to life than work. Therefore change the balance of power and choose to spend more time on outside interests like a hobby or sporting activity.

Time away from the computer and work is healthy and improves achievement at work and in your career. FastCompany says reading a book improves the part of the brain associated with intelligence. You’re giving this part of the brain a workout that improves cognition and memory when you’re reading.

Exercise has always been associated with improved health and, thus, less absenteeism. Regular daily exercise of twenty minutes or more reduces stress, improving blood flow and oxygen levels in the brain and energy levels. On the days you’re teleworking, replace your usual commuting time with exercise!

Sleep

We all know how vital sleep is to reducing stress and repairing the body and keeping our immunity strong. Sleep is essential to fight viruses like COVID-19; therefore, commit to those longer sleep hours and do whatever it takes to make it happen.

Get agreement to arrive at work later, or end the workday earlier. Without adequate sleep of a minimum of six hours, productivity suffers, and therefore getting more sleep is a win-win for you and your business.

Enjoy The Small Things

Take time to enjoy each moment. Life is precious, and taking time to acknowledge the day and what you’re doing to enjoy it is happiness. Take time for yourself to be in the moment and enjoy the interaction with others. Returning to the workplace and communicating with colleagues will initially tax your energy levels, so remember to take that minute or two to restore your batteries and manage your stress.

Summary

Work-life balance has never been as vital as it is now. Working from home has reduced stress levels, and even reluctant employers can be confident their staff is working and productive while working from away from the office.

The pandemic has taught us our health is more important than money, and there should be some give and take, so returning to the office full-time is an old routine that’s now redundant.