Have you found yourself working longer and longer hours lately?

Do you slip into work mode on the weekend?

Check emails at all hours of the day and night?

Without clear boundaries, it’s difficult to step away from work when your home and your office are sharing the same space.

Here are my top tips to prevent work from home burnout.

SET UP A DEDICATED WORK AREA

Having a dedicated place to do your work will separate home from leisure and give you a zone to do each. Your optimal setup would have an actual home office, in a separate room, preferably with a door.

But that might not be something you can achieve given your current floor plan or budget. And that’s ok!

There are many options on the market that will allow you to squeeze the maximum amount of space from your room. And if you’re having trouble navigating them, that’s why we are here to help!

SET BOUNDARIES

Now more than ever you have to be clear on your priorities and how you spend your time.

Don’t accept proposals to events, projects, meetings, calls, or any other obligation in the moment.

Politely explain that you need to check your schedule first before committing.

Then, when you check your schedule, remember that when you say yes to something, you say no to something else.

What would be the trade-off to working it into your schedule? What would you have to move or cancel? Are you ok with that swap?

Be mindful of the balance of your commitments, for both your work and personal life.

GET ORGANIZED

As a professional organizer, I know firsthand that being organized can change your life. When you stop wasting time looking for things or trying to balance a messy, erratic life, you are able to destress and relax without guilt.

If you are struggling with any part of the organization process, I would love to help you move past your roadblocks so you can experience that sweet sigh of relief that comes from being clutter-free and organized. 

GET OUTSIDE EVERY DAY

Being stuck inside is hard. And depending on the size of your place and your access to parks and green space, it can be doubly hard.

It is so important to get outside every day. Even if the weather is crummy, even if you don’t feel like it, even if you think you don’t have the time.

Step out for at least 5 minutes to shake off the stuck-at-home-blues and I promise you will instantly feel refreshed. If it’s nice out, go for a quick walk around the block or head over to a park if you can.

Grab a book and sit under a tree for a little bit.

Anything you can do to give your body a break from sitting in front of a screen on the couch, at a table, or on the bed. 

MEAL PREP

Meal prepping saves so. much. time.

If you’re the type of person that can eat the same or similar-ish things a few days a week, meal prepping will work great for you. Decide on a menu, prep the ingredients, portion them out in containers for each day of the week, and voìla.

You solved the problem of “what am I going to eat today” as well as saved a huge chunk of time taking out all of the ingredients to create each meal in the moment.

Meal prepping works for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, kids meals, all of it.

There are tons of resources out there to teach you how to do it and provide inspiration to keep it fresh so you don’t get bored.

And here is some great additional information to help you avoid burnout from toptal. Find a few ideas for inspiration and dive in from there! 

As always, we are here to help as well. Just reach out and let us know how we can help you thrive in the work from home set up.

Originally posted MARCH 10, 2021