The Juggling Act of Working from Home

Home is my normal workplace and has been for the past two years so, for me, my current working environment is not entirely abnormal. However, even for someone who is set up for working from home, there are new challenges to juggle. Having the whole family under one roof 24/7 means it can be harder to get away to work. There are only so many times you can turn down the request of ‘Daddy, please can you play with me’ – it’s tough to find the right balance.

Image by Hans Braxmeier from Pixabay

This is a new experience for everyone and what works for one person might not work for another. While one member of your team might live alone and be able to focus in a state of high energy from 9-5, others may feel the pressure of needing to support a family; to play with children, to support their partner or an elderly relative, to make sure everyone has food to eat, and so on. You might live alone and thrive on the social side of work, meaning you now need to find other ways to energise yourself. There will be different challenges for everyone.

It is vital that we ask questions and listen to what each member of our team requires. And remember, your suppliers and customers are experiencing this too so ask how they are and understand the potential impacts for them, and therefore you, as well.

For my family, this is now our third week with all of us at home so I am learning to adapt. I’ve found that taking a longer lunch break to spend time with my family is not only enjoyable for me, but it breaks things up for my wife and gives our children someone else to interact with. Last Friday afternoon, we had a BBQ and played games in the garden, which gave everyone a lift and something to look forward to. We also do PE with Joe Wicks most mornings as a family activity (albeit the children don’t join in as much as we do!), and that is helping us to get some much-needed exercise whilst simultaneously giving us a shared activity to take part in.

In life, we will always be juggling a number of things, but we usually have different spaces that make it easier to do so. When our world is restricted to a few rooms and, if we’re lucky, a garden, it becomes much trickier to strike the right balance. It is something we need to keep working at. We need to learn what works best and try to face the challenge with a positive mindset.

So, how are you getting on? What are you juggling and what solutions have you found work best for you?