15 Tips to Improve your Work-Life Balance

Do you have a good work-life balance? Do you work from home? Do you feel you are able to maintain your personal life, personal time, physical health, family members, and work environment in a perfect balance? 

Yeah, most people I know would say "NO!" as well. 

According to this article by EHS Today, a poll conducted by Groupon of 2,000 users revealed that more than half felt that they did not have a work/home life balance. With so many people working from home, even in our post-pandemic world, this is a staggering statistic. 

As a homeschooling mom, author, and coach, I spend my working day at home. I love the flexible work schedule that comes with being a business owner. I love that I can prioritize, blend, and cultivate a rhythm that works exclusively for our family. 

I love being a mom. I love our homeschooling (or rather unschooling) adventure, and I adore what I do for a living. It's very easy for me to have a day where I put too much time into my professional responsibilities if I am not super mindful. When you love what you do in your professional life, it can often lead to poor work-life balance. Even when you hate what you do for a living, the demands of a boss or the business owners of your company can level upon you major expectations that make balancing personal responsibilities very difficult. 

Some even feel like they have to over-perform in gratitude to make up for the flexible work arrangements they enjoy. Thinking about employees' work-life balance isn't often a priority for those you work for. 

So how can you manage working from home and balancing your lifestyle? How can you keep stress levels down, and boundaries in place? 

Below is my list of the 15 things I do for better work-life balance. I visit this list often, evaluate myself weekly, and prioritize clear boundaries to help me maintain a balanced, aligned life. 

1. Get Dressed

I am sure you’ve laughed a time or two over wearing your grungiest sweatpants while sitting with a suit jacket or blazer on to attend an important Zoom meeting. I know I have. It’s all fun and games until you realize that the lack of a morning routine can cause all manner of mayhem in your mindset and productivity. So, wash the sleep from your eyes. Brush those pearly whites. Throw on an outfit that you can leave the house in (you’ll need this for a later tip). Show up for your workday dressed to impress, even if it’s just yourself. You deserve it. 

2. Morning (and night) Routine

STOP checking your email first thing in the morning. Stop checking your email right before bed. Do not start and end your day with work-related activities. 

Instead, start the day with things you love, and end them that way, too. 

Maybe you love sitting with a cup of hot coffee between your hands as you listen to the birds. Perhaps buttering up that warmed croissant fresh from the over (yes, it’s ok to use Pillsbury crescents). Perhaps your favorite sugared cereal is your happy place (I’m not the sugar police, no judgment). 

Start the day with things you love. Smile. Luxuriate in the home life you have. Make it special for yourself and your family. Make the morning and evening moments count by connecting with the things and people you love. 

3. A designated place

Have a specific space you use for work tasks. This may be an office space. Or maybe it’s just a spot at the kitchen table you use ONLY during work. Regardless of where this space is inside your home, you are to use this for work ONLY. Do not choose your favorite reading chair. Do not choose your spot at the dinner table.  Pick someplace that you can specifically and wholly associate with work. When you sit at or in this space, you are at work. When the workday ends, and you move out of or off of that specific place. You are finished with work for the day. The end. No excuses. 

4. Office Hours

Set specific office hours for your work commitments. It is during these specific hours ONLY that you do work-related tasks. Now you can check those emails, answer those texts, and go about being your outstanding workplace self! 

5. Take regular breaks

Even though you are working from home, it’s ok to take breaks. Step outside for a breath of fresh air…see, I told you those clothes would come in handy. Walk to the kitchen and pour yourself a refreshing glass of lemonade. Now stay in the kitchen (not in your workspace), and drink it. This is a small but impactful habit for maintaining personal care. Then, go back to your designated work space and resume your tasks. 

6. Take a lunch break

Yes, you get those even though you are working from home. Take that time. Go to your kitchen and smile at the fact that you can make yourself something wonderful for lunch instead of ordering takeout… OR… treat yourself to delivery so you don’t have to cook. Whatever your preference, make sure you take the time to sit down and enjoy your lunch break. During this time, you do NOT engage in work-related tasks. You do not sit in your designated work space. 

Enjoy your lunch break! 

7. Stay dedicated

Sometimes, because we are working from home and we know no one can see us, it’s easy to put things off. It’s easy to email that person you’ve been dreading and reschedule that meeting. It’s easy to push off that call. Don’t do that. Stay dedicated to the wonderful employee that you are. Show up for your tasks. Don’t become complacent. It’s really easy to do, I know. But with a little adjusting, you can ensure that you stay vigilant to the strong work ethic you have always had. 

8. Work emails

In case this has not been made clear already, work emails get checked during business hours ONLY. I know you are a dedicated worker. I know you are eager to tackle the tasks of your work day! I know you are a hard worker. I get it that you want to rise to the challenge of your work demands. I know you want to go above and beyond because that is who you are and part of the excellence you maintain in your company culture. If you burn out, though, you are none of those things to anyone, least of all yourself. Let’s protect our personal well-being for everyone’s benefit, though, shall we? Work emails get checked during business hours ONLY. This small habit in general will help you have better work life balance. 

9. Workspace is not to be used on your days off

You may use your designated workspace during your designated office/business hours. Your workspace should not be sat in, used, or visited during your days off/weekends. Protect the sanctity of your home. Protect your personal commitments and family time. Work-life does not and should not be the strongest presence in your house. Keep it in its box and prioritize the harmony of your home life. 

Even working a job you love can lead to chronic stress. How? All work and no play, my friend. So don't do that. Don't compromise your personal activities just because it's convenient to pop into the office and do this one "quick thing" on a Saturday. (Some of us actually do work weekend hours, but that's part of our work "week."... in this case, your weekends are those days when you take off-non-work days. Protect them!)

10. Make plans after work

There is something to be said about the travel time to and from your workplace. While at times it may have seemed a nuisance, that time allowed you to transition. It allowed you to make plans to meet friends on the way home for dinner. It allowed you to run some errands to be efficient as you passed places of convenience. 

Working from home removes a lot of that, and unfortunately, we forget to think about scheduling those types of things into our days. That commute time gave us the ability to plans things to look forward to. Now that you’ve no place to travel after work, that unexpected dose of fun is no longer a regular activity. 

Cultivate it! Start connecting with friends to make plans for “after work”. Line up those errands to run on a night you’re heading to your favorite dessert place. Don't forget to build personal relationships just because you work from home now. Healthy balance is about spending time in relationship with yourself, your loved ones, your friends and factor in work. Notice that work wasn't first in that sentence. 

11. Fitness and Hobby time

Speaking of making plans, when was the last time you prioritized fitness? How about your favorite hobbies? Yes, it’s so easy to lose sight of those things while working from home. Now that you are aware of the fact that you’ve fallen a little off track with those, you can schedule a time to add those back into your life. Go to that sip-n-paint! Meet your favorite neighbor for a 15-minute fast walk around the block. Try that beginner yoga class at the new place in town! Embrace life outside of work and outside of your home. 

12. End your day at a specific time, NO excuses. 

We aren’t talking about work hours here. We are talking about your actual day. End your day at a specific time. Shut the door to the sanctuary of your bedroom firmly, leaving work, laundry, dishes, and every other such detail on the other side. 

Yes, I know, this is easier said than done. This requires practice. Even with practice, there are days when I still really struggle with this one. But you need downtime. You need time to exhale from your day and embrace the calm tranquility your body needs to help get a restful night’s sleep. Ending your day at the same time every day helps you create a routine and habit that will enhance the feeling of being refreshed. 

13. Don’t forget to connect! 

This one is so easy to let slip through your fingers. Connection is important for us all. If these last years of lockdowns have shown us anything, it’s that we are social creatures. Remove that social aspect and things like depression, negativity, and hopelessness usher in. Connection combats that, even when you work from home. Do not forget to put effort into connecting with people you know and people you don’t. 

14. Focus on the positives

There are many positives to working from home. There are fewer workplace distractions. Office gossip doesn’t exist. No office drama. No long, stressful commute. Maybe you can take your laptop and sit in the park to work for a change. Maybe the ease of going into your kitchen for your favorite snack is a welcome change. Look around your space, and focus on the positives! Positive mindsets can make or break your mental health. Focus on the positive and continue adding good energy to your day! 

15. Friday Evaluations…How did you do this week? 

This step is vital to avoiding burnout. If you evaluate yourself each Friday (or the last day of your work week), you will know where your strengths and weaknesses are. You will know what you have to focus on for the following week. 

It is possible to balance your work and home life. With a little effort and focus, you can succeed at this! I hope you find my list helpful. Have any other tools that you use to help you maintain your work-life balance? Share them with me via email or social media!