One of the advantages of working at an office is that there's a cut-off time. Once you leave the office, your leisure time begins. That's clear because the structure of your time is linked to space. For remote workers, however, it doesn't quite work that way.When the start and end of your work day depends entirely on you, it becomes harder to secure a work-life balance.
Work-life balance should allow you to dedicate enough time to both your work and life matters in order to meet your daily goals in both areas. The ideal is to meet your work and life goals on the same day.
First, you need to find a job that allows you to maintain a work-life balance and prepare for the remote transition. This position should offer you flexibility and you can find some of this jobs on Remote.com . If you already have a job you are passionate about you but it doesn't give you much room for personal life, then you should advocate for your needs and make your supervisor aware that you need more flexibility at work. Before meeting your supervisor, you might want to outline a plan of action to achieve this goal.
Once you've found a job that provides you with the flexibility you need, it's time to set your remote working schedule and stick to it. Assess where you are at with your workload by midday so you can determine what remaining key tasks you are yet to accomplish before you clock out. If you have a heavy workload and you feel that you need to work extra hours, it might be a good idea to wake up earlier the next day but still clock out at the same time.
In any case, try to avoid extra hours by pushing yourself during your work hours and planning your workweek carefully ahead of time. The most important rule, however, is to set a cut-off time each day and adhere to it. Force yourself to be on schedule. This will help you push yourself during your work hours, keep you motivated and respect your personal space. To achieve this goal, you have to accept the fact that things can wait until tomorrow. Commuting to a physical office helps you have a cut-off each day. In order to switch off the work mode, you need to have a ritual when work is done to be able to transition to leisure time.
Avoid distractions that might hinder your concentration and productivity. If you need something in the background while you work, instead of watching television, opt for classical music which promotes cognitive thinking.
Staring at a screen while sitting for hours can become overwhelming. Building in break times throughout the day will help you clear your mind and increase your productivity. You can either take a walk or stretch during 10 to 15 minutes so you can return to work refreshed.
If the issue is your home and you are getting distracted with everything around, you might want to try a change of scenery. You can go to a local coffee shop, or even to a library, if you can't work with the noisy background of the coffee shop. Some people prefer to have a coffee shop or a library they are loyal to and they can only work there, but if continuously changing scenery from time to time will help you be more productive, you can always google venues that comply with the characteristics you are looking for and change it from time to time to spice things up.
Time is an elastic thing. You can save time by doing the same chores in a different way. It's all about perspective. For instance, instead of spending time driving to a supermarket and shopping there, you can just order online which will save you the time of commuting back and forth and walking the aisles of the supermarket. This might even save you money not only on transport but on the price of the products and you will avoid the temptation of buying products you don't need.
If working at home distracts you because you are constantly reminded of the chores that need to get done, you might want to consider hiring a cleaning service, or if you want to spend less money, you can even hire a teenager to do specific tasks.