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12 Work-Life Balance Tips For Work-From-Home Professionals

Table of Contents What is Work-Life Balance And Why Do You Need ItWhy Work-From-Home Professionals Need Work-Life BalanceTips…
Work-life balance tip poster showing a man sitting and working weighing down on one side of balance while the other side has aspects of life
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Do you agree that being happy in life is all about striking the right work-life balance?

I had a post sometime back on my blog about this aspect, and I will discuss it further here.

The aspect of work and life balance can be very subjective, because we may interpret it differently.

As per Wikipedia, work–life balance is having enough time for work and enough to have a life, thus the work life balance.

Work is an essential aspect of your life, and you cannot ignore it. It is certainly a driving factor and affects all other aspects of life.

You need to work in order to make a living, but that does not mean that you just keep on working and lay all emphasis on only earning money.

If you do not limit your work hours, it may eat up other aspects of your life. On the other hand, if you do not work, you’ll make your life miserable.

Therefore, it’s a delicate relationship between life and work. You always need to keep a check so that it does not go off balance. (It’s okay if it happens occasionally, you can always makeup.)

You may be happy only while working and neglect everything else, but believe me, this can’t go on forever.

I’ll explain the reason in the next section and also why it is important to maintain a balance in life.

“Take care of yourself: When you don’t sleep, eat crap, don’t exercise, and are living off adrenaline for too long, your performance suffers. Your decisions suffer. Your company suffers. Love those close to you: Failure of your company is not failure in life. Failure in your relationship is.” ~ Ev Williams

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What is Work-Life Balance And Why Do You Need It

No matter how different you feel about the aspect of work-life balance, you’d agree that its elements are the same for everybody.

They are work or career, family or relationships, health, and personal interests, which also includes spirituality.

When talking of a work-life balance, we club family, relationships, health, and personal interests into one group called life.

Now, when we work, we often tend to neglect this life group.

So, you ignore your family, relationships, health, and even your personal interests.

Being engrossed in your work may help you earn more money, because you’re intensely working on the job.

It’s okay to do so for a while or occasionally, but when it becomes a regular affair, it may make your life awful. If not now, then probably later in life.

The aftereffects of neglecting the life aspect are that there is no happiness in the family.

The bonds weaken, relationships get bitter, health suffers, and you become weak, or succumb to diseases.

You also loose connection with your own self, because you are just in the pursuit of your business or work goals, and their achievements mean the world to you.

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Have you experienced such a state? I wish not, but only wishing will not do. You need to learn to live a balanced life.

Balance and moderation is the key to happiness in life – I bet you’ve read this elsewhere and at more places on this blog.

By work-life balance, all I mean is to bring harmony between all the elements of work and life. It is basically simple life and time management, not at the cost of your health or relations.

It’s all about creating time for work and life, and all other aspects, so you are able to perform all your duties and responsibilities.

You manage your life in such a manner that you take care of the happiness of your family and your own, besides your professional happiness.

Work life balance is about designing your life in a way that you include all the elements of wellness – the emotional, intellectual, physical, and spiritual.

You need to fulfill all these wellness needs to lead a balanced and satisfactory life.

MUST READ: Easy Ways to Achieve Wellness

“I tend to lose track of what is important in life when I am running around the office. A vacation with my family helps correct that…Your entrepreneurial spirit should help build what is important…not destroy it.” ~ Kyle Lacy

A sign post with direction boards for work, family. health and other aspects of life

Why Work-From-Home Professionals Need Work-Life Balance

In these times, work-from-home is a trend, thanks to the advancement of technology.

This is true for the employed, self-employed, and those into business. In either of these professions, you could be telecommuting or working from home.

However, being self employed and a work-from-home professional, the way you work has a different approach and equation. Your life has a different story.

You need a life balancing solution especially catered for you.

I’ve been a full-time employ working at an 8-hour job, been self-employed working in my own office, and now I work from home as well.

Having experienced these three different forms of working, I’d say that working from home brings you the maximum challenges.

It is challenging because I also have to carry out my household work and parenting responsibilities, besides working at the same place.

Let me tell you, this is not easy.

If you too work from home, then I’m sure you can relate to my statement, more so if you are a woman. 🙂 A woman’s work is never done!

The most important reasons why you need a work and life balance while working from home are:

  • The boundaries between your spheres of work and life tend to merge or overlap.
  • Your home and work duties infringe on each other and you end up neglecting either one of them.
  • The working environment and routine becomes monotonous as you spend the entire day at the same place.
  • Your work hours get extended because of the flexibility of working hours.
  • There is increased possibility that you will disturb your daily routine to complete your tasks.
  • You might go down on efficiency as you may end up spending more hours for work.

When you are in a 9 to 5 or any fixed time job, you automatically segregate your work life from your personal and social life, unless you don’t carry work back home.

However, while working from home, if you do not cautiously and consciously balance your work and life, you may end up working all through the day and feel burnt out!

However, along with these few disadvantages, you have many advantages of working from home too.

You can transform the work-from-home conditions into favorable factors for efficient working, to live a happy life.

You chose a work-from-home lifestyle to work as per your own schedule, to have free time as per the need.

By doing this, you are able to enjoy family life, and take time-off for vacations as and when you want.

Yes, it is possible to achieve such a lifestyle.

Here is what you should do to avoid the disadvantages, if you are working from home.

Quote on work-life balance by Stephen Covey on his photo

Tips For Work-Life Balance For Work-From-Home Professionals

People often ask me as to how I manage my work, being a mother, wife, and a homemaker.

Well, let me tell you that it’s not easy, but I do try to manage my life and work. I need to thank my family and husband for the constant support.

My personal experience has helped me to compile a list of tips for work-from-home professionals.

These work-life balance tips will work for you even if you’re not working from home!

I’ll divide these tips into three sections – professional, social, and personal. While the professional aspect of your life deals with work, the other elements of life are divided into social and personal aspects. You need to manage and balance these three sphere of activities of your life.

PROFESSIONAL

These tips are about your work life, which you need to keep in mind while working from home.

The emphasis is on working efficiently, so that your professional life does not interfere with your personal and social life.

1. Plan Your Work

The first thing you have to do is set goals. Your working efforts should have a purpose and direction. Not knowing what to do will create confusion and lead to wastage of time.

Use a planner to write down your primary and secondary, long-term and short-term goals. Here is a resource where you can use a free planner and learn more about goal setting.

2. Prioritize Your Work

Once you know what all to do, you have to choose what to do first. That way, you should work things based on your priority.

Use a diary to write all your important tasks for every working day, mark the priorities, and write the actions that you need to take.

Here is more information about prioritizing and a free daily planner.

3. Filter Your Work

Drop the activities from your schedule and routine that are a waste of time and energy. These include the checking and replying to emails or social media updates, multiple times a day.

Create a to-do list before you start the day. Check out this free resource, it’s more than a to-do list as it will also help you create good habits!

Make sure to work only as per the list, and learn to say NO to others (this is big!). I know this is very tough, and it is for me too, but if you want to work efficiently, it’s the only way to go about it! Come back to the ‘NO tasks’ once you end your work at hand.

4. Time Your Work

Working from home, you can easily get distracted and lose your rhythm.

Track the time you spend on each task. Invent deadlines and respect them. Finish your work in the set time period. Manage your time by focusing on one task at a time.

Well, you can certainly focus on multiple tasks consecutively to save time. Check out this free online time tracking resource for freelancers.

5. Improve Your Work

Work smarter and not harder – know and master the tools and techniques of your trade or profession.

Do more in less time. Thus you can complete your work in time and not encroach into your personal and social time.

Search for the best tools and ways of working in your profession.

By defining, streamlining, and managing your professional life, you achieve a significant work-life balance to make your life easy.

Related Read: 6 Easy Tips For Time Management You Need To Know

SOCIAL

These tips are about your family and social life, which you need to follow while working from home.

The emphasis is on creating quality time for your family, so that your social life does not get neglected.

6. Schedule Your Family Time

Mark the time to keep aside for family activities in your work schedule.

This could be attending your kid’s school function, celebrating a family event, or even going for health checkups together.

Block the time and dates in your scheduler in advance and make it non-negotiable off work times, except in cases of emergencies.

7. Secure Your Social Time

Working all day will make you dull and your life boring.

Besides giving time to family, you should respect your other relationships with friends, relatives and even neighbors!

Keep your schedule flexible. Cater to sudden social visits – these will liven you up!

8. Fix Family Weekend Time

Weekends are for family. 🙂

You will not achieve a work-life balance until you keep your family happy and satisfied. One way to do that is going for movies, picnics, your place of worship, or even shopping on weekends.

Make Saturday a half working day and Sunday a no working day – this goes even for the bloggers!

Easier said than done, and I’m guilty myself here! But I intend to do more of this by taking the weekends completely off, and am almost through there. How about you?

9. Plan Vacation Time

You and your family need vacations to rejuvenate, have fun, and most importantly, to create a strong bond.

Even if you are a blogger, you can take a break from blogging, just like I did.

Plan your vacations in advance and schedule your tasks so that you don’t have any commitments in that period.

By having frequent get away breaks in life, you balance off the heavy work pressures. Make it a point to switch off your mobiles and emails during your family vacation time!

PERSONAL

These tips are about your personal life or your “me” time, which you should follow while working from home.

The emphasis is on taking care of yourself. Once you are happy with yourself, you will most likely have a better social and professional life.

10. Practice Acceptance

Let go of perfection. Learn to accept that you cannot be perfect at all times.

Also, you can’t give it all and can’t have it all. Avoid being a workaholic, and learn to take it easy. Don’t get obsessed with your work! (These words are reminders for me too!) 🙂

Set boundaries and work hours. Do your best, accept the results, and move on. Do not over commit yourself to sacrifice your personal and social time.

11. Unplug And Recharge

Define your personal or “me” time. You can devote this time to tasks like self-grooming, meditation, relaxation, exercise, and hobbies.

Schedule such “me” times at regular intervals and look forward to them. Reward yourself with your private time and don’t let anything and anybody take it away from you!

This again is a tough one for me, though I’ve started taking out my ‘me time’ – have you?

12. Develop Favorable Habits And Lifestyle

Your mindset and habits matter a lot.

Even while working from home, you need to have a professional approach and attitude.

Develop professional habits, like leading a lifestyle as you would if you’d been working at a professional place.

Create your own office space at home, set work hours, and dress up formally if you like. It does make a difference.

You can create your own set of rules to help you separate your personal, social, and professional lives as well as balance them.

By changing your ways to live in favor of the nature of your work, you contribute towards your professional success. Your private time helps you purge the pressures created by your professional life.

“Letting go helps us to to live in a more peaceful state of mind and helps restore our balance. It allows others to be responsible for themselves and for us to take our hands off situations that do not belong to us. This frees us from unnecessary stress.” ~ Melody Beattie

These were the tips to have a work-life balance and create harmony between your personal, social, and professional lives.

This list is not comprehensive, but it helps you work on some of the basics to live a balanced life.

Here is a short video on the same lines as the theme of this post. I’m sure you’ll like the ideas by Brian Tracy!

3 Key Goals to Keep Your Life in Balance ~ Brian Tracy ~ YouTube Video

Remember, even the small things in life matter – you do not have to create big changes. Small things that you do for your family and yourself will help you be more happy and productive.

However, you also need to be realistic. These tips alone will not do the magic for you.

You’ve to find the best ways to manage your time and work, make time for yourself and your family, and lead a healthy and social life.

Work and life balance is achieved by learning the art of life management. This helps reduce stress and increase happiness in your life.

If you read the posts on how to relieve stress and living the BEST life on this blog, you would understand it better.

It does not matter if you are employed, self-employed, or a work-from-home professional, all of the above work-life balance tips will work for you.

Hope you implement them in your work and life. 🙂

“It’s all about quality of life and finding a happy balance between work and friends and family.” ~ Philip Green

Over To You –

How do you balance your work and life? If you also work-from-home, what were the difficulties you faced and how did you resolve them to lead a balanced life. Share your tips in the comments.

Photo Credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net, 123RFphotos.com

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  1. Hi Harleena – what a lovely post! I work a full time day job and then blog and do social media work part time in the evenings and it’s so hard to not run ragged. Scheduling vacation and family time is a must to stay connected with loved ones. And during vacation time, I absolutely will not read any emails on the phone. If you go on vacation – it should be a real vacation and that means no work emails. It really makes for an incredibly relaxing experience.

  2. Hi Harleena, you have so very well described the problems every work-from-home professional has to face in their everyday life. I can completely relate to the post, as I am a home baker and time management is a major concern for me. Its as if you have written this post for me. The tips you have mentioned will surely help me a lot. I am so going to schedule “me” time from now. However I would like to add that using errand running service could save your time you waste in tasks like picking up grocery or running to collect some documents. In my case I use GetMyPeon to deliver my cakes to the clients instead of running all the way to the clients place myself. It gives me some time to spend with my 7 year old year.

  3. Harleena it is definitely necessary to balance everything in our life.

    Most people who do any type of online job often get so much addicted to working online that they forget most of the other things that they need to do in their life. how to become a flight attendant

    This post of yours gave me some of the best tips for getting balance between work and life.

  4. Hello Harleena.
    I read this article 3 times, that’s how great it is. I’ve been working from home for years now, and although it was a different type of work every few moths, the struggle is the same. Especially when you live with parents like I do, constant distractions are everywhere.

  5. Hi Harleena,

    Firstly, this is my first comment for your post ( I have no idea why it took so long) 🙂

    I love the way you write, your posts are comprehensive that I don’t have to google out for more information on the topic.

    I also love how you have split the work life balance into personal, social and professional aspects and your points on how to improve work life balance is something that I have noted down to be a better person at balancing my work and life

    Thanks for the great post 🙂

    Keep writing

  6. Harleena,

    This article is on time to say the least. Our technologically correct world of connection is both beneficial and a detriment to work life balance. We are rarely totally disconnected from our work which means we are rarely totally engaged in our personal life.

    I will bet that most everyone reading your article has been interrupted during dinner or family time by a text or email from work. I’ll be that most have found time during vacation to check work emails. These cannot be healthy practices. Gone are the times of leaving work at 5:00pm and not checking in until 9:00am the next morning. Somehow we lost our way and decided it was more important to be connected to our jobs than our families, than our lives. Even more alarming is how natural it feels when our work intrudes into our personal life. Sad…yet true. Excellent article.

    Clearissa 🙂

  7. Hi Harleena, You are so right, there are definitely challenges to working at home. But I wouldn’t trade it for even the most glamorous corner office in the top of an office building. Being about to avoid a commute and work with my dog at my feet beats everything.

    You’re right to advise that we carve out times into our days to separate out work and family. Having my computer at the ready means I am constantly tempted to work on my blog, research tech, read and comment on others’ blogs, etc.

    The temptation is especially strong when I’m trying to catch up as I was this month when I was gone for the first half.

    I do try to turn off my computer, especially on the weekends. I try to take one full day off when I don’t even turn on my computer. The weekend day I work I try to find time when my family is otherwise occupied so I’m not taking time away from them.

    Thanks for this helpful article, Harleena. You’re right about the challenges and you offer excellent ideas on how to cope with them. The benefits of working at home are fantastic so perhaps by taking your advice people can take advantage of working at home without letting work intrude on their family life!

  8. Hello Harleena,

    It is so very hard for me, frankly speaking, to spare the time for myself.

    I have done it quite a few times when going out almost everyday, spend some time offline, do some exercise and every such offline things to make me feel better but unfortunately I don’t keep up with it for too long.

    This post has lighten up some motivation in me to take this thing seriously. Not for the family alone but for myself as well.

    When I used to go out for a walk or on ride, I used to yiled some good ideas during the time spent outside.

    I am actually devising some ways even in the home to keep changing my workplace like sometime in room, in the backyard and on rooftop just so I feel of the change.

    Thank you for this post! It sure will help too many folks working for long long hours and not caring a bit of themselves.

    ~ Adeel Sami

  9. Hi Harleena!

    Great Post!

    Work- Life balance is indeed a struggle for the modern generation! We often get overwhelmed by work so much that we hardly notice when life passes us by… You have nicely summarized the tips that one needs to follow to maintain that elusive balance between life and work!

    Your tips for working men and women who are self-employed is bang on! 🙂

    Keep em comin!

    Cheers,
    Nik

  10. Hi Harleena,

    I have thought a lot about this during the years, and for me, the solution was to get up very early in the morning. I used to work at home during the night, but now, getting up at 5 am and start working and planning my day and week, has been a great development.

    I try my best to stop working at 4 pm, and be with my family until the end of the day/night.

  11. Excellent Post!
    I always Schedule a 10 to 15 minute Break between 60 minutes of work, I get up i Walk, I Rebound, I meditate and I spend time with the family 🙂

  12. Hi Harleena

    I do wish there were more hours as it seems the time is so short. This post is really for me as it reminds me of what I must do to manage my time and balance my work and social life.

    I do plan my time for the work and I create a schedule like you so suggested but sometimes I am guilty of defaulting from my weekly task.

    I love the tips that you have mentioned and even they way you categorized the tips based on profession, social and personal is spot on

    I am working towards bein more social as most times I like to stay indoors and don’t go out all the time. You are right that if we don’t balance our work life, we are prone to bad health, stress, loss of time. Thanks for sharing.

  13. Hi Harleena Mam,
    Superb post 🙂
    It is necessary to make balance while you are working from home. Because when you work from home you need to keep more things in your mind. But as you share all the points that are also applicable for those who are working in the offices.
    Planning is the main key to getting success. So first of all we should make a proper plan and divide our tasks on priority basis.
    Thanks for all the points.
    Have a great day 🙂
    Naveen

  14. Hello,

    If you have a great skills then it is really good to work from home. The above topic is really good because you have cleared everything about work/life balance. If you are working from home then it doesn’t mean you are giving your time to your family. That time you are giving your time to your work only. One of my friend got divorced because he was not giving time to her wife even when he is working from home. So, do your work and enjoy your life with complete balance. 🙂

    You always rock…! Harleena :-*

    Thanks
    Dr. Diana

  15. Hey Harleena,

    Balancing our daily lives is a big challenge for a lot of us. I don’t see how I do it sometimes but I manage.

    Ive got out of balance many of times and sometimes my peers and family tend to nudge me when I do. I can be so focused on blogging, piano and salsa that I can forget my family or maybe focus on family and friends and forgot abot other things that’s important to me.

    But this post is a great reminder of how important it is to balance yourself as well as your life. Balance keeps you happy and progressing!

    Thanks for sharing Harleena! this was definitely a wake up call!

    1. Hi Sherman,

      Absolutely! More so for bloggers, and if you are mom blogger, you’ve had it! 🙂

      That’s true, we somehow manage, and many a times it’s keeping either the work or life at stake. The right work life balance is tough to find, unless you don’t follow a routine and disciplined life, isn’t it?

      But being focused on a few limited things and forgetting the rest, is good in a way. At least you are present fully and in the moment. Piano and salsa would be the best times for you to get lost I know!

      I agree there, balance is essential to keep us happy and content, whether in work or life.

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your views with us 🙂

  16. Hi Harleena,

    Finally I made the time to register here. I honestly have been going to do it for a long time. So much for work-life balance here right? LOL I am alot better than I used to be and believe this is a topic that everyone needs to keep talking about. The world has just gotten to darn busy!

    I love the advice on scheduling family time and having weekend time for them plus the piece on securing social time for friends. Thanks for the motivation dear.

    Irish

    1. Hi Irish,

      Welcome to the ABC (Aha!NOW Blog Community) as well, so good to have you over finally 🙂

      Lol…I know what you mean, and it’s certainly not easy to find the right balance. Ask me! But I guess we need to make the choices based on what works best for us and take it up from there, isn’t it?

      Keeping aside time for our loved ones, and having the weekends as no-work days are tough ones, especially for bloggers. However, they are SO essential – so no compromises on those!

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your views with us. And do hop in to fill up your profile at the ABC, whenever you get a little time away so that more people can check it out 🙂

  17. Hi Harleena,

    I totally agree with you that a woman’s work is never done. I feel like I’ve been working around the clock. And just this morning my daughter told me I need to get some sleep because I have bags under my eyes. Now that tells me I need to take it easy.

    The reason why I don’t break from work because for some reason I built this mindset that I have to constantly be online engaging and sharing…why this happened I don’t know but you should see my stress level when I know I should be at my desk and I’m elsewhere.

    And I start to feel guilty because I think, wow here are so and so sharing my content and I haven’t gotten around to their blog. It’s something I’m constantly working on. I’m learning to give myself permission to take a break from work but I’m a work in progress :).

    Lately I’ve been disconnecting on the weekends to spend time with the family. It’s a great reminder why I started working from home in the first place.

    I really need to work on numbers 6,7, and 9. Thanks for sharing the video with us, I really enjoyed watching it.

    I hope you’re having a great week my dear. Have a great Friday and weekend!

    Cori

    1. Hi Corina,

      Agree with you there! Even the weekends aren’t all free for us…lol…unless we put our foot down! 🙂

      I know you stay awake late night, and let me tell you, it’s certainly not good for health. (Look who’s talking!) But we need to change our lifestyle, especially the part about late night. More so, if we need to wake up early for the kid’s and family.

      That’s such a common feeling Corina, for most of us working online, and we just keeping sucked into it, as we discover new things, friend’s, venues etc. It just never ends, nor lessens, unless we put a stop to it. Thank goodness the clock was created! Lol…at least it reminds us it’s past midnight, so get some sleep!

      Distractions are all around us, and finding the right time to do tasks that need utmost attention is the key. Do those first, then the ones that require little attention, and if time permits – all the rest. Or just let them go! Tough to be all over, every-time!

      I know that feeling and I feel so bad as I cannot make my return visit to some new people as I remain stuck with my own comments and the ones at the ABC, as those newbies need full attention too. We are all a work in progress, so don’t worry – one can understand what you go through, as we sail in the same boat my friend.

      That’s the best thing you do, and I try doing that too, at least for a major part of the day. We need that break.

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your experiences with us. Have a nice week ahead as well 🙂

  18. Dearest Harleena,

    Have you written this post for me personally?

    I can just say that every situation, challenge and of course advice fits in my personal situation. I have figured out that concentrating more on my work in the morning and 100% on the kids in the afternoon works well. Evenings are a challenge. And phone calls and door bells rings a struggle.

    I will keep all your advice as a precious treasure! Thanks, Ilka

    1. Hi Ilka,

      Lol…that was sweet! Glad you could relate so well to this 🙂

      You are right, it does fit in with most of us working online and offline too because we are all juggling through the work-life-balance act as yet, trying to work our way around to see what fits in best.

      Just like me – work while the kids are away, and be with them once they are back, though I’m glad mine are a little older now, so take care of themselves mostly.

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your experiences with us 🙂

  19. Hi Harleena,

    The balance of working from home in our own business can be difficult. It is so easy to get sucked into our business and sit in front of the computer for hours on end.

    We have to have a schedule that we can keep. Otherwise we will experience overwhelm and loose balance. I did experience that once, being super woman but in the end, it cost me more of my time because I couldn’t function.

    We do have to take care of ourselves by not over working and have to take time to cook healthy meals, take a break, re-kindle with our spouse, and on we go.

    It feels so great to unplug from time to time. Just getting in the car with my husband and going on a day trip to nowhere, seeing where we end up. We end up acting like kids singing with the radio on. hehe

    Most of all, we do need to plan vacation time. I took the plunge this year to take three weeks off in July traveling cross country to Seattle and L.A. to see the grand kids. And to meet up with some friends.

    Of all the things you have mentioned, I love #3 the best – Filter Your Work. It was hard to do at first but rewarding after you get the swing of things.

    Thanks Harleena for another inspiring post.

    -Donna

    1. Hi Donna,

      You bet it can be really tough! More so, if you sit for hours without any direction or not knowing what to do next 🙂

      I can understand what you mean, perhaps reaching that stage now…lol…and I keep reminding myself to slow down, just need to figure out how now. But it all comes down to balancing things, so that nothing suffers.

      Absolutely! Those ARE essential part of our life too – it’s not just blogging. Sadly, people working online tend to forget this aspect, especially bloggers, as they are constantly working without taking a break.

      Lol…that’s SO sweet, and I’ve seen your pictures of your get-away trips on Facebook. Envy you! I guess once we get a little free from our kids, we’d follow you! Honestly speaking, we need such time away to rejuvenate and come back with new energy.

      I know you did that, though you were off and on online too. I did the same, though had no posts up, no comments, just no laptop with me when I went last summers for my little vacation, again for over 3 weeks. First time I did that, but it was worth it.

      True. Easier said than done, for which you need to know the priority ones and work your way around those and then the rest.

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your words of wisdom with us 🙂

  20. Hi Harleena

    Sometimes thirst to learn more and more may prove devastating. Today while doing evening walk I was just thinking to listen podcast of famous bloggers while walking instead of listening music and then I thought is my life only for blogging.

    But this kind of rational thoughts don’t come always and most of the time just to face the competition we put off several our personal and family chores especially while meeting the deadlines of orders.

    Yes by following the tips you mentioned in this post one can easily become a good time manager and keep a good balance between his personal and professional life.

    Sticking with schedule is must to enjoy working at home otherwise comformt of home becomes counterproductive and we instead of enjoying it think to get an office for our freelance work and add another expense on our finances.

    Thanks a lot for sharing this very useful post for home-based online workers.

    1. Hi Mi Muba,

      True indeed! More than anything else, it just takes so much of your precious time, but it’s something you also need to do in order to learn and gain knowledge 🙂

      I understand what you mean, and this question must be crossing SO many minds of bloggers all over. It has crossed mine too, and that’s when one realizes that the world is so vast, but we get stuck in the small micro-niche, the world of blogging, and how our day just starts and ends with it!

      Yes, we work from morning to night and keep everything aside, just to make a headway in the blogosphere because this is our work. And we neglect our family and friend’s, and other tasks that also need attention, till someone shakes us up, or we realize it ourselves. I hope these work-life-balance tips can help people in some ways. 🙂

      Schedules and routines are the only things that work, and you are right, if we can manage it all, we don’t have to spend on getting an office. Some bloggers have managed a room away from their main homes, so it gives a look of an office, provided you have that kind of space.

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your experiences with us 🙂

  21. Hello Harleena

    There will be hardly any person who does not go through the problem of finding work life balance. And this is one issue that keeps bothering most people through out their lives.

    And you have aptly covered most of the points showing ways and means to maintain work life balance.

    But i feel that going through your post once is not going to solve our problems. We need to go through this post at regular intervals in life and then reflect upon our actions of recent past to see the areas where we are deviating from these principles. And accordingly we need to take necessary corrective action.

    1. Hi Anoop,

      I agree with you there, and it certainly does affect people, all over 🙂

      Kind of you to say that, and anyone’s most welcome to go through the post, anytime. In fact, it’s a great reminder for me too as I am still learning the ways to strike the right balance, but having been online for a number of years now, I’ve come to chalk out my routine now. All that’s needed is to get a little time for myself 🙂

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your views with us 🙂

  22. Harleena it is definitely necessary to balance everything in our life.

    Most people who do any type of online job often get so much addicted to working online that they forget most of the other things that they need to do in their life.

    This post of yours gave me some of the best tips for getting balance between work and life.

    Harleena, I often tend to work on weekend too. This is something I need to change little bit.

    Yes, sometimes a vacation is definitely necessary. It may give us relaxation and we may get more motivated in our life.

    Harleena, it is really surprising to see that you always write such amazing long posts. You’re definitely putting lot of hard work. I will definitely try to write such type of posts in the vacation.

    If someone has to learn to manage work and personal life properly, then that person can definitely learn a lot from you.

    1. Hi Mohit,

      Glad you agree with most of us here – work life balance is the key to a happy and content life 🙂

      That’s true, and all the more reason they need to chalk out a proper routine and lead a disciplined life, just as if they’d have led, had they been in a 9-5 job.

      Hmm…I don’t blame you for working on weekends, and I know many bloggers who do that, especially students or those who are also working offline, at jobs. That perhaps is the time they get in hand, away from work, to take care of their blogs, so it’s understandable. I guess as long as you aren’t married and have a family that also needs your weekend attention, it’s alright 🙂

      Vacations and taking small get-away breaks, rejuvenates us, and I think they make us more productive overall.

      Aww…thank you for saying that – your kind words inspire me to carry on, though this isn’t the usual length of my posts. It’s a short one!

      I am not very good at striking the right balance, though I am getting there, ask my kids! They see their Mom forever working, though being a Mom and homemaker, I need to wear a lot of hats and keep trying things to make it all work for me too.

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your views with us 🙂

  23. Yes Harleena you have described the skeleton of almost everyone’s life and it is more worse than one can think it can be if we do not balance our personal,social and professional life.

    Each point in this post is alarming to rectify the missing points which we all should take care to create a balance in our life. I am giving more importance to my personal life and then social and professional life.

    Thanks for sharing this concept in so detail and I too have learnt some point which were lacking either with the ignorance or by chance.

    1. Hi Mohinder,

      Good to see your Gravatar up! I am glad you could relate to this post 🙂

      Yes, I think the scenario is pretty familiar with most bloggers. The key lies in trying to balance the work and life, so that neither of them is affected adversely, isn’t it?

      I am glad you’ve started paying more attention to things that matter. After all, our life is all based on the choices we make.

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your experiences with us 🙂

  24. Hi Harleena Mam
    Now, this is what I call a mumbo-jumbo post. You have crafted all points in a wonderful manner
    Working from home is really a typical task to perform. We really to need to maintain a balance to understand things in a broad manner.

    Ya, 9-5 job has a fixed routine in which we can segregate things in a better way. For some people who don’t love their job, this is a perfect example of conditioned discipline where people have to follow a strict schedule.
    While working from home, we have to maintain a perfect balance on our own only. Though, there is no external pressure, we need to have a stronger mindset for a balanced lifestyle.

    Ya, we need to understand our ‘me-time’. Nowadays, I am concentrating on scheduling all the tasks by allocating time for every mail notifications and social profile notifications.As it is a beginning process, I am getting some trouble in having the desired output. But with time, I am sure I will make it.

    Thanks for sharing this post. I am definitely going to bookmark it to soak in all these deep points

    1. Hi Yatin,

      Lol…I love that name, and sorry for the longish post, though it’s comparatively shorter than most of my earlier posts (if you’ve read some of them!) 🙂

      Absolutely! Working from home isn’t easy, unless you discipline yourself and follow a set routine or time table. Yes, a 9-5 job has that advantage, where you are free after you are back home, unless you don’t carry work back home! While for those working from home, the work just never ends, unless you chalk things out well enough.

      Leading a healthy and balanced lifestyle is the key, for those of us working at home. It’s not tough to strike the right work-life balance, provided we are ready to make the right choices, isn’t it?

      Time for ourselves is SO important, something I’ve started doing now, rather late in the day, but glad am on the way now. I am sure you’d learn the ways, as you are quick at picking up things, so just a matter of time. You know where to reach me, if you feel stuck any time 🙂

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your views with us 🙂

  25. Hi Harleena, Oh Yes this is one topic that does need to be addressed HUH?

    “”Balancing”‘ When I first got started online I had no BALANCE LOL I just sat right here at my desk for hours and hours, I had NO LIFE! I HAD NOT IDEA ABOUT WHAT I WANTED, WHAT TO DO OR WHERE I WAS GOING!

    This is everything you have talked about right here and we all know that time can slip by so fast if you let it, it is so important to set those goals and to know what you want and how you are going to get there. Well at least to have a game plan together Right?

    I loved all your tips and have been really working on each of them. I do have to agree with Lorraine on this one though, I do wish we could find more hours in the day LOL

    Thanks for sharing and do have an Awesome Day… Chery :))

    1. Hi Chery,

      I am glad you feel the same way as most of us do 🙂

      Lol…you’re certainly not the only one to think this way as balance is the last thing that’d come to mind, especially for those who are just starting off. I think most of us don’t know the direction we are headed or what we need out of life, and we go in for anything that comes our way. It’s only through hits and trials that we start learning things and getting better with the balancing act.

      Time is always an issue, just as Lorraine and Swadhin mentioned, and one wishes for more hours in the day. But the wise lots are able to manage it all so well, in-fact, spending less hours and working productively, which we need to follow. True, we need to have a set goal in mind, and with that we can proceed further.

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your views with us. Also, I’m trying to comment on your latest Team Blitz post – the comment section isn’t visible. Do check it out 🙂

  26. Harleena, I completely understand the challenges you face on a daily basis, because mine are very similar. However, I divide my time between my apartment and my parents’ home, and so that makes things a bit trickier. I don’t like lugging my laptop around everywhere, but it’s a necessary evil. Where I go, my work goes.

    I used to have a hard time separating my work life from my personal life, but I have learned to listen to my body, my mind, and those around me. I’ve also had to make many sacrifices.

    But I think most entrepreneurs do.

    I am a very organized person, but I often wish there were more hours in the day! 😉

    It *always* seems like there is so much to do an not enought time to do it in! The great thing, though, is that I love it. And that, to me, is the most important thing. I’m happy. I do what I love, I help others, and I get paid. What more could I ever ask for?!!

    1. Hi Lorraine,

      Absolutely! I think being bloggers and writers, we can understand all that we go through 🙂

      I can understand what you mean, it certainly isn’t easy to juggle between both the places. Are your parents living too far from your apartment? I guess not, but even the travelling bit takes time. We have our in-laws staying on the first floor too, so it’s a large family for us too.

      Lol…I know what you mean about carrying the laptop and work along! I’ve been doing that myself all these years, but since last year, when on vacation, I’ve just started leaving it ALL behind and really spending quality time with family – nothing else.

      True. If we don’t listen to our mind and body, we’d not last long enough to do anything! It’s all about the choices we make in life, and some of them just have to be made, whether you like it or not.

      Being busy is good, as it keeps you happy and occupied. Oh yes! Time always seems to fall short and so many things we want to do, just add up to our to-do lists, I can relate to that one! I guess at the end of the day, we all need to decide what works best for us and chalk out ways to do that first, and take care of balancing our professional and personal lives, isn’t it?

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your experiences with us 🙂

  27. Hello Harleena,

    Thanks for your complete guideline. I agree with your points. This post is very beneficial for all. As well a student and Blogger, i mostly stay my Home. That’s why i can not balance 🙁 that’s really a big problem for me. I will follow your steps from today 🙂

    1. Hi Tonmoy,

      Glad you agree with these work-life balance tips, as mentioned in the post 🙂

      I can understand what you mean, and there are many youngsters like you who sail in the same boat. I think the key lies in scheduling your work and time, and planning things out. Also, if you let your family and friend’s know your work time, I am sure they’d help you by respecting that time period, so you can accomplish your goals.

      Thanks for stopping by, and I hope these tips help you 🙂

        1. That’s wonderful Tonmoy if things are already working for you! Yes, we bloggers cannot work without the support of our families, so good if they are with you in your journey 🙂

  28. Hi maam,
    Timely post indeed! I always find a day having some hours missing. I wished my day had atleast 44-46 hours but it never happens.
    Thanks for writing a post that will enable us to save some time if not get extra hours. I think as Balroop above said, this post is to be for everyone.

    Creating a proper schedule is very necessary or else we would end up procrastinating.
    Its very necessary to have work prioritized because then we know what is important and what requires more time.

    Having a schedule for family and friends is very very necessary as this not only rejuvenates us but also makes them feel loved. An hour spent outside amongst family members might freshen up the next work session.

    Yes that one is a big true. a small “me” time at regular intervals is all we need. Its necessary to get unplugges timely.

    Haha I love sitting at the table as I am at home. I think office robes will choke my creativity. lol I like to sit in a tee and trousers etc.

    Definitely having a office space helps. Thats what keeps us motivated and concentrated.

    Thanks for this wonderful post. Much needed and recommended one. 🙂

    1. Hi Swadhin,

      Lol…exactly how I feel! I wish I had more hours in the day to accomplish all my tasks 🙂

      Yes, this post is for all those who wish to learn the fine art of balancing their work and life, whether they are working from home professionals or others too.

      True, and that’s why we need a plan and to-do lists, which we can make daily or weekly, as per our requirement. The key lies in following it, or it’s just a waste of time and effort. I know of people who make huge plans but when the time to implement them comes, they lose focus and procrastinate. So, going in for small, achievable goals, taking small steps daily would work better I feel. You need to prioritize your work or things don’t work, after all life is all about the choices we make, isn’t it?

      I agree with you there. Family is of utmost importance, and they don’t ask for much, so spending a little time daily helps us bond better with each other, and rejuvenates us to work with full tempo.

      We do need that little time alone, the ‘me time’ to be with ourselves, even if it’s just a few minutes a day, it does help. But I know most of us get so lost in work that we forget to take out that time, so I hope this post is a reminder for everyone to make a deliberate effort to do so for yourself.

      I am glad you at least sit on the table to work…lol…I know of people who’d carry their laptops all over the place! Wonder how they work! I guess everyone’s got their own lifestyles and way of working – all that matters is that your work is done in time. Agree with you there, I cannot imagine sitting all dressed up at home too, but I guess some people feel better if they are dressed up as it gives them the feel of an office environment.

      Some people have a set up similar to an office, within their homes, and I think that little space away from the main home works well for them. It gives them their quiet place of work, and feel of an office too. And there is less of noise and distractions. All they need is to set their work timings and stick to a routine, and learn to say NO to all those who want them to work at others tasks, just because they are home! That’s one point Pique raised in his comment above.

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your experiences with us 🙂

  29. Hi Harleena,
    I agree with you.Working from home is really challenging specially when people expect you to do things because you are at home.Somebody gets sick or has to see a doctor and since you are not bound by any office hours they call on you.
    Guests come to your house and expect you to chat and talk.So we are left with no time for work.I had even started to work at night and sleep at day but my parents scolded me a lot.
    Found your post helpful.I am gonna remember to time my work.I found this advice to be most helpful to me.Inventing deadlines have worked for me in the past but I have never given it the importance that it deserves.

    1. Welcome to the blog Pique 🙂

      Absolutely! I think you are taken for granted, because you are home, and perhaps not valued as much as compared to those who go out to work. I know of people who are facing such problems, so I can understand what you mean.

      Lol…I can relate to that – being called for any small job, just because you are home! I wish people would understand that though we are home, we are working, and we have our work time too, so please respect that! It’s not easy explaining this to folks 🙂

      Yes, guests, family, or friend’s, can all hinder your work flow. I guess what might work best for you would be to let people clearly know your work hours. Like for me, suppose it’s morning 9-2 and then evening 6-11, with breaks in-between. So, if people want to talk to you or you need to do errands, do it in the break time. Try this out, and I am sure it would work for you.

      Your parents are right, sleeping late in the morning as you work late night would harm your health, though sadly it’s the state of many bloggers.

      Oh yes! Time your work once you schedule your tasks, and there are many online timers you can hunt for too, which might help. Deadlines we all need to meet, though learn to be flexible at times, after we are all humans.

      Thanks for stopping by and I hope these tips work for you 🙂

  30. Hi Harleena, 🙂

    The first quote aptly describes what we might be prone to do when we want to achieve something and love our work too much.

    All good but mind, body and soul demands its fair share of time as well.
    And not paying attention to either one of them can unravel all the success we probably would have managed in the work life.

    I mean, if one gets sick because the person was busy working and not eating healthy then in the long run it’s a losing proposition. As the person would be spending more time, energy and money getting well and not working towards her goal.

    All that time, money and energy could have been better invested in the work. Taking time to look after other aspects of life and enjoying life in general is beneficial for work life too.

    You’re right maintaining work-life balance while working from home is difficult.

    I suffer from not being able to maintain this balance often. But finally I have a made plan and all of a sudden everything is a little easier.

    I no longer work on days reserved just to go out with family/friends or staying home not working.

    Doing no work once a week feels amazing. Hoping everyone reading the post will incorporate the tips you have shared in their life to achieve some balance between their work and life. 🙂

    Thanks! 🙂

    1. Hi Priya – good to have you back 🙂

      Absolutely! Glad you liked that quote, which I think fitted in well with the post 🙂

      I agree with you, and that’s why we need to take out time for ourselves, just as Balroop also mentioned. I think we tend to get lost in our work or making money or businesses, and just neglect the ‘self’, which is the mind, body, and soul. Yes, you’d spend more time and energy in recovering, if you fall sick, which wouldn’t allow you to achieve your goals in time. Thus, moderation is the key factor, and balancing your life and work matters would help you attain satisfaction in both the fields.

      You are certainly not alone, Priya, it’s the case with most of us who work from home! However, because I’ve been working from home for a long time now and my kids are a little grown up to manage things on their own, I can manage things. But if there is any sudden break in my routine, there goes the day! 🙂

      I am glad your plans are working for you, and learning to say NO while you are enjoying life with family or friends, is tough, though glad you are managing it. Hmmm…one day off is something I need to do, and that means, really being OFF! I hope so too, as that’s just the aim of this post, to help those who are working from home strike a balance between their work and life.

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your experiences with us 🙂

  31. Hi Harleena,

    This is such an important topic. I work from home and find the distractions are endless. Writing my to do list first thing helps. I also keep a weekly goals list that I refer to throughout the week. I take a coffee break and get out for a walk. But keeping family and work separate is near impossible. Also, having everyone understand when I’m working is not always working LOL. Although I prefer working at home to an office job anytime. I have to accept the challenges with it, too. Great tips, Harleena! Thanks for these reminders and suggestions.

    1. Hi Lisa,

      I thought so too, and I am glad you agree 🙂

      Very true! Unless you shut yourself from all distractions, it becomes tough to work from home! I also need a plan and a to-do list, though with time I make a quick mental one daily that I follow now, and that’s just how it works for me.

      My walk and talk (to myself!) times are early mornings, and then I sit to work once the kids are away. My breaks are usually linked up with chores or cooking at home, and then it’s back to work, then another break for lunch with the family etc. I guess we all need to chalk out what best works for us, isn’t it?

      I guess if you divide your time for work and life/family, it can be workable. Like I know after a certain time, I would rest or I won’t go online, and I do just that, though it’s not easy to take such steps, but you have to make choices based on priorities in life, some time. Lol…I know that part for sure! I’m glad my kids are a little grown up now to understand that moms working, though that’s when they are at home in the evenings. That’s the time I do more of comments or social media. Me too – nothing like working from home, and those challenges we turn to our favor with time!

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your experiences with us 🙂

  32. Hi Harleena,

    That is a comprehensive post, very beneficial for all…even if they they don’t work from home. Life in itself requires great balancing and often we ignore that ‘self’ is all important. In the enthusiasm for learning more and following our passion, ‘self’ gets lost in the pursuit of racing with various challenges we have to encounter.

    It is much later, when we accomplish some goals and get vanquished by some, do we realise the importance of balancing work with life. Relationships often get neglected if we are too passionate about our work…modern trends exhibit this fact more clearly but I am glad some youngsters are realising the price they have to pay to earn that fat cheque!

    Working from home is all the more taxing as we tend to cross the boundaries, overwork and neglect some of our daily work, without actually paying any heed. I am so glad you have given tips for everyone. Thanks for the reminders. Hope our young friends learn a lot from this post.
    Have a blessed week!

    1. Hi Balroop,

      Thank you for your kind words of appreciation – glad you liked the post 🙂

      Yes, it would work for even those who are not working from home – I guess all that one needs to know is how to strike the right balance between work and life, which isn’t easy for all. But if you know the right ways, I think you can work it all out.

      Absolutely! It all has to start with the ‘self’, and sadly, that’s one aspect most of us tend to ignore – including me! I guess we get so busy with work and other affairs, we just forget about ourselves, which results in health problems for starters. That ‘me’ time is SO essential for all of us, and though late in the day, I’ve started devoting some time for myself daily now, I think we all have to if we want to live a happier and healthier life.

      True. Though I wish we’d understand the fine are of balancing work and life from the start. It doesn’t really happen that ways because initially we are all new, whether we are starting a new business, a new blog, or just in the initial stages or getting the know how of things, and all of it takes time to learn. We tend to neglect our families and life, while trying to make a headway, to only realize later all those precious moments we’ve missed. Families and relationships are the first things that suffer if we don’t take care, and the sooner people realize this fact, the better it is for them.

      Working from home works well for those who take it as a profession, similar to working from their workplace or office, and they follow a disciplined and routine lifestyle. But for most of us, we tax ourselves and live a lifestyle we regret later. I know as I’ve been through it too, so shared some of the tips that’ve worked for me, with the hope they’d help those who are working from home too.

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your words of wisdom with us 🙂

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