Tag: work life balance

Morning Cuddle

Yesterday I had to tell the kids that today’s morning cuddle needed to happen an hour earlier than usual. I had a meeting with someone who works on Eastern time, and that meant an early start for my Pacific time zone self.

I promised my son that I would wake him up in time to cuddle. If I didn’t, the boy would be up at 1am, checking to see if it was time yet, and nobody wanted that.

I woke my son and daughter at the appointed time, and they followed me back to bed, still half asleep. My son was quite annoyed at the way work encroached on our family time. He’s never quite given up hoping that his father will take over my job so I can take care of him full time. He figures that if I just stopped taking video calls, no one would ever know the difference.

I transitioned to remote work while 7 months pregnant with my second child. I’ve had to take the occasional business trip, but for most of his life I’ve worked in the next room. I am at home when the kids leave for school. I am home when they come back again. During school vacations I am still there, doggedly trying to work as the kids stampede through the house and argue about who’s turn it is to play Minecraft.

My work/life situation is neither idyllic or horrific. I get to see my kids more than I would if I worked in a traditional office. I am happy for the opportunity, and aggravated at how often random people assume that working from home means they can give me things to do.

Of all the opportunities remote work bestows upon me, the morning cuddle is by far the most luxurious. It’s a little (okay a lot) squishy. The bed hasn’t grown the way our children have, so somebody is always balanced on the edge. My husband gets kneed in the back more often than anyone should have to deal with.

And yet I remember dropping off my infant daughter at daycare in the early morning dark, and picking her up again in the evening twilight, already nodding off to sleep. I hold a child in each arm, and I am grateful. Grateful that I replaced a morning commute with fighting over blankets and talking about weird dreams. Grateful that we can spend most mornings cuddled up together for a few minutes before we scatter to our various responsibilities. I hope my kids remember these times fondly.

I already do.

How to Build Breaks into Your Remote Work Day

All work and no rest makes Remote Ronnie cranky and inefficient

Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash

As veteran remote workers can attest, it’s all too easy to let your work take over every waking hour. While some employers worry that their remote employees are slacking, most remote employees struggle with taking proper breaks from work. Breaks are important for a variety of reasons. This article will discuss ways to make sure you actually take them.

Schedule Your Breaks

It can be hard to justify a break, if your work is demanding, or if you procrastinate and feel bad about stepping away from the job. It sounds counter-intuitive but scheduling breaks can help with both of these scenarios. Short breaks help you recharge so you can continue to handle a fast-moving task list. If your problem is procrastination, understand that work will fill up all available space. Scheduling hard start and stop times creates the deadline-driven environment that some people need to focus. For others, procrastination stems from fatigue. If you give your brain downtime, it won’t need to force downtime via procrastination.

Treat your breaks as important appointments. If your work has to spill into a break, reschedule it. Use your calendar’s alert function to notify you of an upcoming break. And then take your break.

Back Away from Your Desk

Photo by Mohammed Awami on Unsplash

Checking your social media sounds like a nice break from work, but it isn’t as effective as actually getting away from your desk. Some people routinely ignore scheduled break time. Sometimes this is because work reels you back in, in the form of text messages and urgent emails. Even if you temporarily turn off all notifications and close your work tabs, it can be hard to fully unplug and relax in the space you associate with working. In the remote workforce, you still need to have some version of a break room.

Plan Your Break Activity in Advance

You are more likely to take a break if you know what you’re doing. These small pauses in the workday can also serve the dual function of recharging your brain and moving you forward on personal goals. That can make a break from work more palatable if you are ambitious or goal-driven. Do you want to work more reading into your life? Set out your book or cue it up on your device so it’s waiting for you. Are you trying to build exercise into your day? Plan your route outside, or choose a workout app and have it loaded on your phone. Apps like ‘Movr’ have exercise routines that you can complete in five minutes.

Remote work gives you an unparalleled opportunity to fit more “life” into your life. Take advantage of this. While traditional office workers are obliged to sit in an office, YOU have the opportunity to work from anywhere (and possibly at any time)that you have an internet connection. Schedule your breaks, actually take them, and soon you will find that you have more energy for both your professional and personal goals.