2020 has brought about a big shakeup in the way we live and work. When the COVID-19 pandemic first kicked off in America, businesses and governments were quick to shut down and move to remote work. While not every job was capable of making this transition, many were. At REI Nation, I know we worked remotely for a time, too!
Remote work isn’t a new idea, but remote work in the context of a COVID-19 world has been a little different than most of us imagined. We don’t all have cozy home offices. Some of us have kids. Those kids need attention. Whether childcare options were gone or schools shut down, whole families were suddenly thrust together all the time and yet expected to do business as usual.
Children still had to meet their education benchmarks. Remote workers were expected to maintain the same level of productivity. Over time, we’ve all had to learn how to manage our expectations.
For some people, working from home is becoming less of a temporary arrangement and more of a long-term prospect. Many businesses are embracing the remote worker, not only for the sake of social distancing but for cost savings. Fewer people in-house means less space needed, less coffee required, and other benefits. An employer reportedly saves $11,000 per person each year, even if they just work remotely part of the time.
Employees, too, seem to favor working from home. Ninety-nine percent of those surveyed by Buffer said that they would like to work from home, at least part of the time, in the future. Ninety-five percent say they encourage others to work remotely, too. Now, those numbers might be different as of 2020. But still, it highlights that remote work is not a fad or an anomaly — it’s becoming a big part of our working norm.
And, as you can guess, it’s throwing a wrench into the idea of work-life balance.
Balance Versus Blend
I’ve written about work-life balance a few times on this blog. And while I still think it’s essential — for our performance, for our relationships, for our mental and emotional health — the times are changing. Traditionally work-life balance has been understood as carving out designated (often equal) times to dedicate to work and personal pursuits. It means “turning off” at the end of the workday. It means taking a vacation when you’re on vacation. There’s a lot of merit to this idea, if only because it leaves space for real rest.
However, the blend might be a better approach in the end. A work-life blend isn’t worried about spending the exact amount of time in work and personal life. It’s content to do a little less one day and a little more the next.
Ultimately, the blend calls us to integrate all aspects of our lives without sacrificing or compromising on any front. Now, this might not always be possible — but it’s the ideal.
3 Ways to Blend Work and Life
1) Champion Flexibility
Flexibility is the number one perk to remote work. You set your own hours, designate your own breaks, and decide when to start and when to stop work. Flexibility demands a great deal of personal responsibility, but it’s also a significant benefit. Expertly blending work and life means that you embrace this flexibility. It’s taking ownership of your schedule and finding what works for your life, your work, and your family.
When you embrace this flexibility, you can take a break to pick your child up from school. You make room to do what needs to get done around the house. Flexibility means you don’t stress when the unexpected comes your way — you just pivot. This flexibility allows you to maximize your time where it matters most.
2) Master Your Priorities
There are only twenty-four hours in a day. We rarely have time to get it all done. An essential element of the work-life blend is practical prioritization. Trying to get it all done will only compromise your ability in one area or the other. A work-life blend doesn’t mean that everything happens at once. It doesn’t mean you’re trying to do it all at once.
What it means is that you have carefully set priorities, linked together in a way that makes sense for your life.
3) Make Ongoing Adjustments
A lot of us are new to this. Understand that remote working, finding the right work-life blend, is all about trial and error. What’s working for your coworker might not work for you. Be okay with making mistakes and adjustments along the way. You’re not going to nail it your first try. Instead, be able to step back and evaluate your time, your productivity, your mental and emotional well-being, and the quality of time spent. Make the necessary changes. It’s the only way this thing will work!
How do you strike the right work-life blend day-to-day? Share your top strategies in the comments.