The Benefits of Keeping a Set Routine When Working from Home
The percentage of people who are working from home is increasing each year thanks to the ease and convenience. More people also have access to affordable high-speed internet, and the COVID-19 pandemic showed a lot of companies that having a chunk of their workers not come to the office didn’t hinder production, and in fact helped it in most cases.
Working from home sounds like a dream to many, but it can be a bit more difficult than it appears on the surface. Keeping a set routine is one of the more difficult things to master, but doing so can provide great benefits. Here are five of those benefits that you’ll experience:
Stress Management
Efficiently managing stress is one important benefit you can count on when you keep a set routine while working from home. Maintaining an organized schedule is a crucial part of healthy stress management.
Before you begin your workday, break your duties into smaller, easily digestible blocks of time, with ample breaks in between. You can organize your workload by priority, length of time to complete, or enjoyment of said projects. Whichever method you choose, you’ll see your workday stress managed more properly in turn.
Increased Productivity
When you work from home it’s crucial to stick to a set schedule. To thrive in a work-from-home environment, you must keep an organized routine. It’s easy to form unhealthy work habits when you’re not in the standard workplace. As a result, your work and mental health can suffer.
One of the many reasons why routine is so beneficial to your productivity and state of mind. It doesn’t have to be a strict schedule. Do what works for you. You’ll see a vast difference in your efficiency and output once you apply a schedule that works for you. Your mood will greatly improve as well.
Clocking Out on Time
What’s one of the most difficult dilemmas you face working from home? Oftentimes you’ll find yourself working late into the night, skipping breaks, and completely losing track of time. As relaxed as working from home can be, it can also be a struggle to shut your “work” brain off. As well as separating yourself from productivity and off time.
Managing a set schedule will help break up your work day and ensure you take breaks. Try fitting in only what you know you can take on for the day, so you’re not pressured to work past your normal hours. Set an alarm to signal when work is done and leave your workspace until the next time you’re on the clock.
More Time To Take Care Of Yourself
We all need time to ourselves to relax and indulge in self-care. That can be hard to do when you work from home. Working longer hours, feeling unable to escape your work environment, and feeling overwhelmed by your busy schedule can all contribute to poor self-care.
Following a set work schedule will guarantee your work days will flow smoothly and ultimately result in an abundance of extra time to spend caring for yourself. When you don’t have to sit in the car for an hour or two every day, that’s time that you get to spend with your family or bettering yourself.
Better Sleep
When you work in the office, there are long days where you spend more than just the typical eight hours away from home. You end up driving to and from work while the time it takes to prepare yourself and to get out of that uncomfortable businesswear and decompressed adds up. When that happens, most of us simply want to unwind and relax with the precious little time that we get.
The result ends up being revenge sleep time procrastination, where people stay up and sacrifice sleep because it’s the only time they get to themselves. For those who work from home, there are more hours in the day, and having a set schedule can actually have you looking forward to bed time. Even fitting in naps during your lunch period can improve your overall sleep health, which is a borderline fireable offense in the office.