Working from home provokes love or hate — and not much in between. Those who appreciate remote work thrive with productivity, efficiency and engagement. But it takes balance. Without keeping track of mental, physical and social health, we could lose that balance.

It’s important to establish or re-establish routines. People prosper with boundaries, Setting that standard for home reinforces this concept.

Commuting to an office provides structure that could be missing from your remote workday. Remaining focused at home is just as important for productivity and well-being. Those working from home often find the work-life balance pendulum swings less dramatically than making the commute each day. To quote a favorite superhero movie, however: “With great power comes great responsibility.” It’s up to employees to develop the same productive work habits at home as they established in the office.

Start your day off right. Set the alarm. Dress for work from top to bottom. Also focus on self-care, whether that’s exercising, journaling or finishing your cup of coffee before going to the office.

Visualize your commute. Yes, from one room to another. Designate a place in your home where you work. Avoid the kitchen table or couch. Or even worse, your bed. While this provides comfy surroundings, it’s less conducive to the work mentality needed to succeed.

Create your office to-do list and prepare for meetings and other events. Don’t forget to schedule your morning and afternoon breaks and lunches when setting expectations. We all need time away from the office.

Speaking of breaks, leave your office and enjoy a cup of tea or snack. Better yet, take a quick walk outside. Fresh air and sunshine stimulates your body’s production of mood-boosting vitamin D and serotonin. Studies show it can lower anxiety and depression. Is it lunch time? How about a picnic outside when the weather permits? Soaking in natural rays keeps you awake and alert, increases focus and memory and breaks up the routine of sitting in the same place all day.

While it’s tempting to perform household chores, save them for before or after your workday. Keep your head in the game. Winding down from your workday is just as important as ramping up for it. Call it quits when the workday is done. Resist working just another hour because you aren’t commuting. Use the extra time for self-care. 

Additional tips involve finding ways to stay active.
In many office settings, departments share such resources as printers and shredding machines. You walk more than you think. It’s just as important to remain active at home, but it requires some creativity. 

Use what would be commute time for exercise.  Go for a walk or to the gym or use your home equipment.

A plethora of online apps are available to remind you to take breaks and get up for a walk.

Set up your printer in your home office so you must get up and walk to get those extra steps.

Invest in hand weights and do some chair exercises while you read work materials.

Finally, remain connected with the outside world. It’s easy to forget the outside world exists when working from home. Sometimes we experience interaction overload in the workplace, but the opposite could prove true at home. Maintain interactions with coworkers. Even the most introverted introverts need social connection.  

Join in competitions — the most creative backgrounds or a trivia question of the week.

Create a room for chats during breaks or host a virtual lunch with coworkers.

Share calendars to allow others to view your day. Make sure your appointments or projects remain up to date so they know when you’re available for collaboration.

Speaking of collaboration, work on projects together when appropriate. Many platforms provide virtual meeting rooms, shared whiteboards and versioning programs.

Schedule routine group check-ins.  This helps you and others feel supported. It also assists with accountability.

In line with your company’s social event policies, host different online events — a virtual happy hour, recipe sharing time or class.

Don’t forget those ugly sweater contests for the holidays.

Regardless of how you connect outside your home office, stick with workday boundaries and visit with others. And don’t forget why we have remote working in the first place — striking a balance between work and life while still getting the job done.

Kelly Murphy works as a human resources business partner at Lighthouse HR Support in Grand Junction. Tamara Schopp works there as a background screening specialist. The firm offers human resource services for small and medium-sized businesses. For more information, call 243-7789 or visit www.lighthousehrs.net.