Working at home definitely has it's perks but it also has setbacks. One evolves around relaxing at home. Read How to Relax at Home When You Also Work There.

I originally wrote this post about working from home back in 2011. Back in the days when, working from home wasn’t really a thing unless you worked for yourself (which I was doing at the time).

COVID, of course, changed all that.

Jump to 2020, and a lot of people suddenly had experience with working from home. Whether they wanted it or not.

Personally, I love working from home.

Like everything else, working from home has its pros and cons.

One of the concerns about people working from home was that they would have a hard time separating their home life from their work life. The concern was that work life and home life would blur into one.

It can be hard to relax at home when you also work there.

When I first started working from home, I experienced this problem myself.

The fact that I live alone (which I love, by the way) doesn’t seem to help the situation. I have no one (like a partner or children) to tell me that it’s time to stop working and spend some time with them.

My cat jumping on the keyboard demanding my attention helps, but that’s about it. She hangs around for a quick cuddle, then she’s off for a nap on her favourite cushion.

Fundamentally, working from home comes down to setting working boundaries for myself.

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Here are my thoughts on how to relax at home when you also work there.

Have scheduled downtime

I know this seems obvious, but when you get caught up with work, you can simply forget to take time out.

I noticed recently that anytime I didn’t have my laptop on when I was at home, I started to feel guilty.

Yes, I know, not a good sign.

It’s time to start enjoying my evenings again and schedule in some downtime.

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Take a digital sabbatical

In theory, a digital sabbatical sounds just dandy. The practicalities, however, involve not turning on my laptop over the weekend. Honestly, I’m breaking into a sweat just thinking about that, so this part of the plan might take a little more work. 

For many people, a digital sabbatical may mean not checking their work emails on the work phone over the weekend.

Try starting with one day on the weekend not checking work mobile or laptop and then build up to not working on the weekend at all. Start small and build up if going cold turkey is a problem for you.

Get out of the house

This probably seems like a no-brainer. When you do have some time off. Get out of the house.

No working from your mobile either. That includes checking emails. Or using social media for work.

And no feeling guilty.

Get out of the house. Have fun and drop the guilt. That’s an order! 🙂

Related post – 20 Ways to Stop Feeling Guilty All the Time

Work outside of the house

This probably seems obvious these days in the world of laptops, iPads, and wireless Internet.

When I started working from home, I had every intention of going to a coffee shop and regularly working from there. I did it once.

Personally, I found the noise too distracting. I like a quiet environment when I write. No music, television, or people chattering in the background. I tried working in the library once, and it was much better (quieter naturally).

I need to give it another shot and keep trying until I can fit working sessions outside of my home office into a normal part of my routine.

There may be IT security issues involved in working outside the home if you work for the government or a corporate organisation, so make sure that won’t be a problem for you before working outside of your home.

Get out and network

If you work from home, there’s a good chance you aren’t networking enough. As good as working from home is, it can get isolating, depending on how much contact you have with clients and coworkers.

Jump on Google to see what networking functions, workshops, or conferences are coming to your area over the next couple of months. Do your research. Ask your peers what they are attending or interested in.

Then, of course, it’s a matter of getting your butt out the door and going to these functions. Intention won’t cut it; you need commitment and follow-through.

Related post – 7 Thoughts on Networking from a Former Social Butterfly  

Pick up the phone

Let’s not forget about picking up the phone. Shut the computer off, pick up your mobile, and reconnect with someone for a long, leisurely chat. Mobiles are not just for sending text messages and updating social media.

Mobile phones are used for more than taking selfies.

Use your mobile to keep you connected to people.

Related post – How to Cope with Feelings of Loneliness

Plan activities with people

Again, this seems like a no-brainer. But for someone who lives alone and is single, it suddenly takes on a lot more importance. 

Back when I was saving to leave work, I could on rare occasions go whole weekends without speaking to another person. I know that would drive most people nuts, but it didn’t bother me because I enjoy my own company. Besides, I had the office from Monday to Friday as a source of communication with people. 

Now I don’t have that, which is fine. The problem comes when you are spending too much time on your own (even I have my limits, it seems). I don’t feel lonely, but I can sometimes feel isolated (and I’m the first to admit that this can be a result of my own doing). 

This might be a good time to point out that some people might have the exact opposite problem. They are surrounded by people all the time and never have any time for themselves. You might enjoy being in this situation, but remember even the most extroverted people could benefit from five minutes of reflection time now and then.

The other issue that everyone faces is that people have busy lives.

Spending time with friends, particularly those with partners, children, or extended family, is not always easy. I have to be a lot more organized if I want to see my friends nowadays. I need to book ahead. Sometimes way ahead.

Get organized, get planning, and book time with people. Yes, there is effort involved, but it’s always worth the effort.

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Eat regular meals sitting at a table

This one just popped into my head for one simple reason. I can’t remember the last time I sat at my table and ate dinner.

I normally sit in front of the television and eat. On the odd occasion, if I am upstairs working in my office, I skip dinner altogether.

Again, this is probably worse because I am single. No rallying the troops to the dinner table for a sit-down meal. However, I can’t help but wonder: how many families don’t have dinner together anymore or sit in front of the television to eat dinner?

I have a sneaky suspicion I might not be alone on this one.

Have a place in the house that is a non-working area

I have a small townhouse (compared to Australian housing standards), so this is not all that easy. I tend to mainly relax out in my courtyard.

I have on occasion had trouble falling asleep at night and thought to myself, ‘I should get up and get my laptop and work in bed’. I did it once but thankfully have talked myself out of it on other occasions. This is one area where setting boundaries comes into play.

My bedroom is a no-work zone. Make sure you have no-work zones in your home.

Related post – Why Boundaries are Important

Exercise more

Writing can be bad for your health. Okay, well, that is not quite true; writing won’t hurt you – but sitting for long periods of time, hunched over a laptop, is bad for you. 

Just ask my chiropractor.

The trick is to sit correctly (you need to constantly correct your posture) and to take regular breaks in which you move around and stretch. I plan on taking this a step further by actually stepping out of the house and going for a walk.

The other great part of this plan is that walking always gives me some of my best writing ideas. A walk around the block and I will be pumped up with ideas and energy!

As I have mentioned in an earlier post on how to stop clock watching, I tend to suffer from an energy slump in the afternoons. My friend suggested recently that this would be the perfect time to take a walk.

Whatever is a good time for you to move and exercise, make the most of that time.

Books that can help you work from home – 

Be more productive by working less

I need to get more done in the traditional five working days time frame. They can be any day of the week, mind you, but I need to start working within five days.

I find what is happening is I am wasting time during the day, with the thought that I can make up for it by working the weekend. 

You can see the problem here already, can’t you?

For starters, we can never ‘make up for wasted time’. The time is gone. Secondly, by the time I get to the weekend, sometimes I am either too tired or I have run out of energy. Consequently, my workload on the weekend doesn’t go to plan. I don’t get enough done, and then Monday morning the cycle starts again.

Therefore, it makes sense to take more time off on the weekends and focus on being more productive during the week.

If you are reading this and thinking, this doesn’t apply to me because I work in an office, you may have a valid point.

On the other hand, substitute the words home or house for office, and you might need to have a rethink.  

If your partner is subtly begging or downright nagging you to spend more time with them, you might want to take notice.

Don’t get me wrong, I still love working from home. I simply need to make some adjustments to make my work life more productive and my home life more enjoyable.

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