Whether or not you are still working from home or go into an office or job site every day (or some days), it’s a challenge to strike a balance between work and home?
Why is this balance so important? ? Because when work begins to seep into all hours of our day, our relationship suffers?
How can we avoid this path? One way is by being intentional about creating healthy boundaries between our work life and home life.
Let’s explore some ways we can put this into practice.
1️⃣Incorporate buffer time:
For many people, this could be during your commute ? home. Use the drive home to mentally shift out of work mode. Listen to your favourite music or a podcast and try to leave work in the rear view. If you transitioned to working from home in the last year, you may have realized the importance of this time and miss it. Try ending your work day with a walk around the neighborhood or a snack on the back porch to decompress and signal to yourself that it’s time to shift into your “home”?mindset.
2️⃣ Designate work -free times or spaces:
This is especially important if you work from ? home. After all, your home is now where you work, and your work in now part of your home. The physical meshing of the two can lead to mental overlap as well. You might find yourself feeling like you’re never done working. This can also happen if you job requires you to be “on call” or available outside of normal working hours. If at all possible, set aside times or spaces that are ‘sacred’ – no work allowed. Maybe it’s at the dinner table, maybe it’s all Sunday, maybe it’s a bedtime routine. Choose something that works for you and your family and stick with it??
3️⃣Jot it down & let it go!
Sure, we can say it’s “work -free time” but sometimes it’s hard to turn off your brain ? about work stuff. Maybe you’re ruminating on a tricky issue or you just randomly thought ? of a great idea ? for the project you’re working on. This is similar to the notion of writing ✍️ down what’s spinning in your mind when you can’t sleep ?, go jot down what’s keeping you preoccupied related to work. This simple act of putting it down on paper ? or a note on your ? phone can be both a physical and mental way of setting it aside for the time being ?
4️⃣ Understand the value of being fully present in the moment ??
Which do you think is more valuable: 3 hours with your spouse in which your mind is preoccupied with work or 30mins with your spouse where you’re fully present with them??The answer is pretty obvious?Sometimes time is simply isn’t on our side. Maybe you’ve got a big deadline coming up or the team is short- staffed so you need to help out. That doesn’t mean you’re relationship has to lose out. Dedicating even a small amount of time during which you are fully engaged and in the moment can be much more meaningful than hours of your mind and attention being elsewhere.
These are just a few simple ways to help you navigate ? the balance between work and home ? It can be a complicated dance and the steps will probably change throughout your married life.
By setting boundaries like these, you’re better able to prioritise our marriage and stay connected to our spouse, creating a strong ?? reliable foundation for success in other areas of our life, including work!
To learn how best to strike this balance, the small things you can do and to learn how best to navigate ? your journey in marriage throughout the varied life stages, look no futher – contact:
Cynthia Nathan
Relationship Counselor &Marriage Educator @3R Counselling ?
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057069595171
She is a dedicated Relationship Counselor and marriage builder to help you both achieve all the very best that marriage has to offer?
Enrich your marriage by learning some small but vital tools ? that can have a great, powerful and positive impact ? on your marriage TODAY!
Article credit to Prepare Enrich A
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