Achieving Work-life Balance During the Pandemic, Is It Possible?
A report published in early 2021 says one in five people affected by the Covid-19 pandemic in Indonesia may have suffered from anxiety. With the working-from-home most times turned into a living-at-work situation faced by many, means that we need to be stronger than ever. People are required to juggle between work and home errands, while continuously digesting unfavorable information from both their own circle and the news. This situation makes it very difficult for us to stay positive about things in life.
Here comes the BIG question, in such challenging times like these, how do we achieve the so-called work-life balance?
Draw a line
First and foremost, draw a clear line between work and life at home. Not everyone is fortunate enough to have their own ‘working station’ but even in the least fortunate situation, try to designate a corner where you work. The act of ‘visiting’ and ‘leaving’ this work corner could help you establish boundaries on when to have a break or stop working.
Some people also find it helpful to put on proper work attire at home to place their head in the ‘at-work’ mindset and be ready for work.
Plan your day ahead
Either the night before or in the morning, get used to planning your day ahead and stick to these plans. By planning your day, you know your small goals to achieve and are presented with constant reminders of what should be done. You know yourself best, are you better working at night or in the morning? Allocate your time and energy to which you are most productive.
Talk it out
Despite working remotely or in the office, your days can’t always be filled with daisies and sunshine. When you feel the need to talk to someone, do talk. This person can be your colleague, your line manager, your HR -- whoever you think is able to actually listen and understand your point of view.
Social media detox
A social media detox is a conscious elimination of social media use and consumption for a set period of time. It may sound cliche but switching yourself off of social media, especially during a global pandemic could help ease the anxiety towards the pandemic, and let us focus more on ourselves and improve our mindfulness.
Exercise
Going for a jog, doing yoga, or simply dancing to your favorite song at home could help release endorphins and help trigger positive feelings. When done in the morning, exercise could maintain your positivity throughout the day. Exercise has also proven to reduce stress and anxiety.
What should the company do?
Aside from relying on your own effort to maintain work-life balance, your employers can also support this by providing ‘wellness’ benefits such as psychological consultation or providing rewards for achievements. In this case, the size or amount of the rewards is not necessarily important, the gesture of appreciation is the most important.