What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear ‘work from home’? You may think of flexible timings, comfort, casual clothes, ease of parenting, or any other of the dozens of WFH perks. However, all these advantages of WFH stem from only one factor; an organised routine.
When you’re in a home office, it can sometimes be hard to resist the temptation to relax the time away when you’re supposed to be working. You may find it difficult to choose between going through those audit reports or binge-watching Netflix for another half hour.
And that, folks, is what makes a WFH routine quite imperative.
Why Is Having a Morning and Evening Routine Planning Important?
Routines are always an integral component of a successful life, no matter what stage you are in. They help us stay on track, progress towards a better stage, and find relaxation periods with ease. Here’s why your WFH routine matters:
1. It’s Easier to Zone Out
When you’re home, you naturally find yourself in your comfort zone. But, unfortunately, you’re also completely alone and essentially have no one to keep an eye on your activities when you sneak a peek at your social media. Even when you set up a home office, you know when it’s time for your favourite show to air on TV.
Given all this convenience, you have to have a routine that you can adopt to accomplish your daily goals.
2. Routine Ensures Productivity
Do you ever feel like you’re stuck with a task that seems to take forever to complete? You’ve had lunch, you’ve finished your tea, even took a power nap, but you’re still nowhere near finished with it.
This is what happens when you don’t have a routine. You’re unsure how to plan your day, regardless of whether the workflow is high or low. When you don’t have a pattern, you may keep delaying the task at hand until it’s too late to get anything else done. You barely manage the work before the deadline, eat your dinner, and then doze off for another subpar workday.
However, setting up a routine can ensure that your brain is relaxed and productive throughout the day. You can plan your day with an optimal balance of free time and work duties so that your productivity maxes out without any brain burnouts.
3. Keeps Your Health in Check
While WFH is a cosy experience, it can also be a bane for your health. If you refuse to change out of your pyjamas, skip breakfast, or keep going to bed late, you’re bound to risk your health, both physical and mental.
As tiring as an office commute can be, it also brings a new change in your life. In fact, a positive office environment is crucial in keeping you healthy. And although WFH isn’t as tiresome, it can be quite negatively isolating.
By following a routine, you also ensure that you make time for leisure activities, such as time for recreation, for family, for friends, and for anything else that keeps you from slipping away into a spiral of physical and mental disorders.
4. It’s Important for Your Family
It may not always be a big deal when you don’t have a dedicated routine when you live alone. However, if you have other people living in the house, your routines might build on each other so that the house isn’t a mess.
If you’re not married, then you may have elderly parents to look after. If you are married, then you and your spouse may distribute household chores between your work timings. If you have kids, then their routine pretty much entirely evolves around your routine.
Given this variety of circumstances, you and your family should plan a routine to accommodate each other’s schedules and preferences so that you don’t come across daily disruptions or arguments. In addition, if you have family members who are reliant on you, you need to plan your routine and theirs so that they don’t have to confront any struggles while you’re away in your home office.
Conclusion
Working from home is all fun and games until you realise it’s taking a toll on your health, productivity, and, worst of all, your family. You may be exempt from some of the formalities present in an office environment, but a day-night routine isn’t one of them. If anything, setting a routine is the only way to successfully take on WFH without losing your mind or job.
Author: Alex Cole is a Specialist Building Services Recruiter with Responsum. He’s always interested in networking with Building Service professionals. He loves talking football, is hoping to get on the property ladder soon, and visits Tenerife every year!
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