It is easy to get lost in being busy all the time with work, family and school. We forget to take time off simply to chill. When I used to commute to work, the lines between work and home life were clear. When I went to school to teach, I was working. Then, when I came home, I was chilling and spending time with family. This all changed when I started teaching online.
When I teach online, because I work at home, the lines between work time, free time and family time blur because my office sits in the middle of my apartment where I also spend my free time and fun time. Working from home is great because I don't have to commute anymore or deal with traffic. I don't have to get up extra early just to beat traffic. However, working from home takes greater discipline since I am tempted to watch TV all the time, a temptation that did not exist when I worked away from home!
What do I do to have a work-life balance?
1. I make sure I prioritize my tasks. Any tasks such as papers or forums to grade, I do early in the morning when I am most alert.
2. I do my less important tasks later on the day when I am tired.
3. I make sure I follow my To Do List day by day. I write down a list of things to grade, assignments due, forums to participate in, classes to prepare for next month all down in my legal yellow pad so I don't miss a beat. I allot a certain amount of time for each task and try to stay aware of how much time I spend on each task.
4. I take frequent breaks--I go for a walk in the sunshine. I make sure these walks last for 20 to 30 minutes. After work is done, I walk for an hour a day to get in exercise.
5. I do yoga. I do yoga before my walks and I do yoga after my walks. Before the walks is to warm up the muscles and after the walk is to cool down and relax the muscles.
6. I eat frequent snacks. I make sure I get in several servings of fruits and have a salad every day. I find it hard to remember to eat when I am doing so many tasks so this one I have to really work on!
7. I set aside time to just chill even in the middle of the day to let my brain relax and to not overwork myself.
8. I look away from the computer every now and then to prevent eye strain.
9. I have a set time when I work. I work from 11AM to about 5PM. I try to keep work within that time frame in order to have a mental break from work so that I feel refreshed to come to work the next day.
10. Free time is free time. I resist the temptation to get on the computer to work. Instead, I read, spend time with loved ones, and draw. These are activities that truly relax me making me ready for work the next day.
So take care of yourselves. Avoid the temptation to do 'extra' work to get more done outside your set time to avoid burnout. I used to work all the time no matter what and I got burnout very quickly. Now, I am going to pace myself slower, because without good heatlth, you have nothing--that's what my mother used to say--and she was right! Learn to have fun because life is too short to do otherwise!
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