Working from home? Maintain a healthy balance

More and more people are working from home offices.

That may sound like a pretty good deal — and for many people, it is. It can lead to more flexible schedules, a relaxed dress code and a commute that can't be beat. Some people are even more productive at home, with fewer office distractions.

But working from home presents challenges, too. For some people, it means increased stress — especially if you're not working from home by choice.

You may encounter different kinds of distractions, particularly if you live with other people or pets. Not having a change of scenery may feel stifling. And if you're not careful, your work life can creep into your home life.

"Working from home may not always be as easy as it sounds," says Craig N. Sawchuk, Ph.D., L.P., a psychologist and co-chair of the Division of Integrated Behavioral Health at Mayo Clinic. "In addition to making sure we have the right space, privacy and technical equipment to do our job, we miss out on the natural structure and social support we get from our workplace environment and colleagues. These things are very important to our overall health and well-being."

Dr. Sawchuk offers this advice for achieving a work-life balance while working from home:

• Carve out a dedicated workspace. If you don't have a designated home office, find a corner of a room or a desk that's used only for work. Your commute may only be 10 feet away — but it should still be its own destination.

  "Try not to use your bedroom, if possible," says Sawchuk. "Ideally, your bedroom should only be used for sleep."

• Maintain a morning routine. Take a shower, get dressed, and eat breakfast before starting your workday. Have a cup of coffee away from your workstation, take a walk, or do some yoga to launch a new day. These actions help wake up your brain.
• Stay connected to your team. Take advantage of technology to keep in touch and on board with co-workers. Regular texts, emails, calls and videoconferencing can go a long way.
• Take lunch. Use the time to take a mental and physical break from work. Leave your office to make lunch, take a walk or exercise.
• And take regular breaks. Go for a quick walk, get a coffee refill or call a friend. And get up from your desk every hour to do some stretches, a couple of yoga poses or a quick meditation. Think of it like pacing yourself throughout the day to stay fresh and focused.

• Stay social. When you work from home, you miss out on face-to-face time with work friends who can be an important part of your day.

  Continue to cultivate those relationships, and develop other connections. When you can't see others in person, catch up over the phone or through videoconferencing.

• Avoid multitasking. Don't be tempted to do household chores, like laundry or dishes, during designated work time.

  "Doing chores can make sense as a way to break up the workday, but they can also turn into unwanted distractions or even a source of procrastination," says Dr. Sawchuk. He recommends keeping up with chores during the days and times that you'd ordinarily do them, like on evenings and weekends.

  And Dr. Sawchuk adds, "Remember that now is not the time to have everything at home in perfect order. Try to stick with letting things be 'good enough.' "

• Put your health front and center. For some people, it's easy to sit or snack the day away when you work from home. Make it a priority to eat a healthy diet, exercise and get enough sleep each day.

• Guard your time. It's tempting to fill your more flexible schedule with additional projects. And family members might expect you to be more available to them since you're nearby — to help with homework, run errands or make meals.

  Don't accept extra tasks that take up too much of your time, even if they're worthwhile. And talk to family members about when it's OK to interrupt your workday, and when it's not. Setting limits helps keep you healthy and focused.

• Leave work at work. Make a conscious decision to separate work time from personal time. At the end of your shift, shut everything down and close the door if you have one. End of day rituals like these can help you mentally separate your work life from your home life.

  And don't check work email or voicemails after hours. They can wait.

• Avoid information overload. "Try to avoid leaving the news running while you're working, or using your breaks to get caught up on the latest events. Too much exposure to stressful information directly impacts our physical and emotional health in negative ways," says Dr. Sawchuk.

  Dr. Sawchuk recommends limiting your news exposure to once or twice a day for 15 to 30 minutes — just enough to be informed but not overwhelmed. "If you need background noise, consider playing music to create a more pleasant and relaxing work environment," he says.