Working from home has plenty of perks; flexibility, an office designed specifically for you, more hours in your day (since you can skip the commute), and the ability to cook yourself a fancy lunch, you can even keep up-to-date with the laundry! But without some serious boundaries and balance, working from home means the office can easily seep into your life and make you feel totally unhinged.
Before you know it, you are dipping in to work mode 24/7 with no clear boundaries of where work starts or finishes. Several studies have shown that long working hours are bad for one’s health too, with adverse effects on cardiovascular and mental health.
Due to the increasing pressure of modern life and despite the effects it has on our health, we still push ourselves to get more done!
This crazy work schedule also affects our sleep patterns, we tend to get less sleep, often working late into the night.
I was shocked to read numbers were from as little as 4 hours!
In 1910, a “normal” sleeping schedule was considered an average of 9 hours per night, while today, this has fallen to around 7 hours or even less.
Just recently I read a post where everyone was discussing how many hours of sleep they managed to get after trying to cram everything into their workday. I was shocked to read numbers were from as little as 4 hours!
Studies have shown that individuals who work 55 hours or more per week have a 1.3 times higher risk of stroke than those working standard hours.
In fact, almost 4 in 10 Americans said they work at least 50 hours on a weekly basis.
Long working hours have also been associated with a higher risk of anxiety and depression. A 5-year study found the risk of developing depression in healthy individuals is 1.66 times higher in employees working more than 55 hours a week. The risk of anxiety was 1.74 times higher.
In fact, almost 4 in 10 Americans said they work at least 50 hours on a weekly basis, I imagine this to be much more if you are working from home!
You need Balance, home office rules and an actual routine to keep productivity firing in all areas of your life.
These tips from http://skillcrush staff can help get the healthy work/life balance that working from home promises;
- Create a Dedicated Workspace
- Set Your Hours
- Take a Lunch Break
- Take Your Days Off Seriously
- Keep Hydrated
- Dress accordingly
- Practice Saying No
In our pursuit of happiness and productivity, by just applying a few ground rules, we can have a healthier balanced life
Articles and reports taken from
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com http://www.gallop.com https://www.thelancet.com
