Stay Productive without Sacrificing Family Life

When does work end and when does family time begin?

After I resigned from a two year work at a BPO company, which is the one and only corporate job I ever had, I made a conscious decision to stay at home and be with my daughter.

I think it was the perfect time to do so because the freelancing industry was budding at that time. I had this opportunity to work with different companies offshore and explore my potential without having to miss my daughter’s developmental years.

It sounds great, right?

From an outsider’s perspective, it’s so dreamy. Working from home while earning a living and being with your family is the dream. But just like everything else in life, there’s a caveat.

You must have very good time management skills because more often than not, your work overflows into other areas in your life. Sometimes, that may be ok, if it can’t be avoided but if it becomes a regular occurrence, you need to take a step back and ask yourself if it still serves you.

In my case, I didn’t have a good time management skill at 25. I was all over the place and work overflowed in other areas of my life and yes, my time with my daughter and family was sacrificed. Worst of all, my health suffered. I always got sick, which of course didn’t sit well with my clients.

Fearing that my health will worsen, I took a step back and had a look at how I was living my life. I did an overhaul and found some ways that set me up for increased productivity, deepen my connection with my daughter and my man and stay healthy.

I’m sharing with you these practices to stay productive working from home without sacrificing your family life.

Shift Your Mindset

I deconstructed my belief towards work-life balance. The word balance itself implies struggle, like when you transition to a standing split from side lunge in a yoga class (I did this to my class, sorry not sorry!).

I shifted my mindset and stopped looking at my home life and work as separate parts of my life. Instead, I look at them as an essential part of the whole life. Then the integration work of all these aspects has become smoother.

When I did this, everything worked in harmony, in symbiosis. I no longer sacrifice one aspect so one can thrive. I restored my health, developed deeper connections in my relationships and I attracted my most aligned clients.

Yes, it is possible!

Reflect: What is your belief around work-life balance and working from home? What do you envision it would be like and your productivity? What belief doesn’t support your desires around working from home?

Go back to basics of taking care of your body and mind if you want to be productive.

Establish a Grounding Practice

Our physical and mental state has a lot to do with how productive we can be.

A grounding practice will help you create the space for mental clarity and cultivate the energy you want to radiate.

My grounding practice is stacked during the first hour of my waking time which is between 5-6am.

I cultivate clarity in mind by meditating, journaling and spending time to sit with my feelings. This clarity helped me in making decisions, directing my behaviour towards meeting my priorities at fork and at home.

I took care of my physical body by exercising, eating nourishing real food and sun soaking. Later in the day, I also take time to make myself feel good by doing simple self-care practices like dressing up nicely (yes, even just at home), taking long baths, and getting massages.

Taking care of my mind and body has helped save time which otherwise would be wasted because of lack of clarity and physical health.

What practices can you start doing as a habit so it supports better mental and physical health? How do you plan on making the time so that you get to practise this as a habit?

Set Clear and Solid Boundaries

How do you want to experience your work and home life?

The answer to this question will make it easier for you to set your boundaries.

For me, it was clear that I don’t want my work to bleed out into my home and family life. I want to be able to enjoy the moments I share with my daughter and my man. Additionally, I wanted to have time for myself where I can pursue a hobby or do nothing.

I use some tools to help me in setting boundaries these are — timer, digital calendar and a journal.

At the end of my work everyday, I would write what I need to do for the next day and put it in my calendar which prompts me with an alarm for every entry. This directs my actions without the difficulty in making decisions on what to do next.

I set time for when I answer email, post content in social media (there’s an app to schedule posting, too), check in with my team and respond to inquiries if there is any.

I also include time for family, activities that I will do with my daughter since she is un-schooled, date nights with my man and some personal things I want to indulge myself in like a painting lesson.

When I finish working, I also leave my phone in my work area to help me avoid mindlessly scrolling through my phone looking at memes during dinner.

It was hard to do this in the beginning but it was worth it in the end. It was easier to switch gears between work and home life and be immersed in the experience fully.

Journal question: How can you optimize your space so that it supports productivity and promotes the boundaries you set between work, home and family life?

Remember, even small steps count. When those small efforts compound, they can make a significant impact on your holistic wellness.

Lastly, Don’t Hesitate to Ask for Help

Perhaps one of the things that make it so stressful for many work from home moms is the fear of being judged for not keeping a tidy home, or feeding their children right so they overdo things to the extent of burning out.

I’ve been there. I want things to be tidy at home, that I cook meals from scratch, and still look pretty for my husband. The result has been burnout and stress.

Remember that you are not alone, and you don’t have to do it all at once, nor on your own. You are free to ask for help. It is not a sign of weakness or a hallmark of your usefulness.

You can either hire a house help to do some house chores or delegate some tasks at work to a team so you can focus your energy, time and attention on things that matter to you more.

What part of your daily work or house chores can you delegate? Can you hire a househelp, either weekly or bi weekly to do the cleaning for you?

Finding Balance without the Burnout

Working from home is a great opportunity to see our children grow, be there for our spouses and partners when they need us. You don’t need to lose your head to have all of these.

While these are easy steps to do, the transition during implementation and the paradigm shift it takes was a bit challenging. It took me a while but once it settled, it made everything smooth.

I now get to enjoy focused and more engaged time between work and my home life.