While most of us used to believe that working from home is the best way to balance your personal and professional life, the recent lockdown has effectively proven that it is not always sexy and sultry as we imagined it to be. During the coronavirus pandemic, it is imperative that everyone works from home and while staying home with your partner may have a few perks, it can sometimes be a bit overwhelming too. Here are a few tips that I have learned in the past month of working from home with my partner. I promise these will come in handy during lockdown 3.0 as your patience beings to wear off with all the home time with your partner.
Create Individual Working Hours And Respect Them
We all have some moments in the day that are super crucial for work. That 9:30 am call or the mid-day catch up meeting? Make sure you both create your own individual working hours and give each other space to maintain them. It’s easy to get bugged when someone puts on the mixer grinder in the middle of a work call and while it’s important to go about our lives right now, it is also important to respect each other’s professional boundaries and commitments.
Take Enough Breaks Between Work
By breaks, we mean individual breaks. Just like how you did when you were physically at work. Call up your work-friend and have a little chat with them during the break. It is important to keep in touch with people you would take a break with at work regularly.
Designate Private Areas
Sitting together, especially with someone who works over phone calls can be a little difficult and we are guessing you must have had enough of it in the past month or so. Thus, it is important that you’re both sitting in your own private areas as you work, preferably in locked rooms but not on the bed. Use a chair and a table instead.
Make A Schedule Together
Make your daily schedule together. From when to have lunch to wrapping up work. It is important for both of you to make this schedule and follow it. Truth be told, there is no guarantee that this lockdown will have no further extensions, and burning out is really not a good idea.
Discuss Ground Rules Beforehand
You don’t like loud music during work and your partner cannot work without music? Well, that last month of fighting must have told you that it a sureshot problem. This is why you need to discuss the ground rules before you start working together in order to avoid disagreements while working.
Make Sure You Are Not Working From The Living Room
The living room is meant to be for leisure and meeting people. There are simply too many distractions and reasons to escape from work and you must have seen yourself slacking for the very same reason while working from home all this while. Also, it is hard to not have a conversation when you’re both in the living room. Thus, nice as your living room might be, it is advisable that you both stay off that space and work in more peaceful and private areas of your home.
Take A Few Breaks Together
Taking breaks with someone refreshes your mind and gets you going. If you take a break with someone you love, you tend to be more open about how your day is going. This relaxes your mind much more than any other break would.
Don’t Multitask If You Can’t
It’s okay if there are a few extra dishes in the sink. It is okay if the floor is dirty. If getting up from the workstation distracts you, don’t. You both can figure everything out later. You have survived more than a month of lockdown till now, we are sure you can go a little longer with it.
Well, if you look at the bright side, this time will actually help you bond. Make the most of it.
Featured Image: Today
