As someone who has constantly wrestled with the concept of work-life balance, I can confidently say that the idea of achieving perfect harmony between work and personal life is a myth—especially as a virtual employee! Despite the promises that self-help books and the gurus will tell you, it’s just not possible. Even this week I was struggling with juggling the work, home and personal tasks that arose, so what a coincidence I’m writing this. I can humbly say the tips shared in the following paragraphs are ones I have not mastered, but I try weekly to do so.
There are still evenings when I find myself thinking about unresolved work projects while trying to eat dinner. Similarly, personal challenges, whether it’s worries about a family member’s health or my own struggles, often creep into my workday.
So the secret here is that there is no “perfect” way to balance work and home life. But it’s a skill that takes practice, boundaries and intentionality.
Set Boundaries with Yourself
It goes without saying, you must set clear boundaries for yourself. This might mean establishing firm work hours and sticking to them, or creating a dedicated workspace at home to physically separate work from home. I have had to do both of these things. Being a virtual employee means I’m fully integrated into my home all day with cats jumping on my desk, my husband randomly interrupting, laundry needing to be turned over, or simply the garden calling my name.
To combat the distractions, I finally got around to creating a dedicated office space. I painted the walls a dark plum color, got a new chair, hung string lights and even set up a printer station. This has been incredibly helpful to close the door to help me focus. I now enjoy walking into my office space—it doesn't stress me out or cause overwhelm! I actually enjoy walking into this space. Another tip would be to take the time once a week to tidy up the space. Look at your desk that is probably covered in sticky notes and condense. This will again help aid in your stress levels.
I also established (somewhat) better working hours. Working for the Jon Harrison team comes with great perks like a flexible work schedule. As long as we continue getting our work done and have high values (AKA be a Star employee) we can work at any hour of the day/night. This led to me spending late evenings working at my desk. I quickly realized that life is not for me. I’ve gradually realized I’m a morning person and enjoy some consistency. Now, for the most part, I keep a standard 9-5 time schedule for work.
Here are a few practical tips I integrate daily:
Timers/Focus Sessions: Microsoft has a Clock feature that allows me to schedule Focus Sessions. I determine the length of each session and set breaks every 30 minutes if needed. It’s even configured to automatically play instrumental music on Spotify when I start. I use this tool daily, and it has greatly enhanced my focus!
Time Blocking: I rely on Google Calendar to visually organize my day. Each task or event is assigned a specific time slot with notifications enabled to alert me of upcoming activities. For example, I might schedule “1:00-3:00 PM - Working on Blog Post.” Additionally, my team shares calendars, allowing everyone to see when I’m occupied with tasks. Although I don’t use it as much as I have in the past, it remains important for managing large projects.
Daily Planning: This one is going to sound simple. But I spend 10-15 minutes each morning planning out my most important to-do’s. I can quickly become overwhelmed looking at all my tasks so I keep an ongoing list on a whiteboard and select 3-4 key items to focus on each day. Being a pen-and-paper person, I rewrite these tasks on a note card to keep in front of me throughout the day. This simple practice helps me stay organized and reduces the feeling of being overwhelmed.
In conclusion, the goal is not perfection but progress, and with intentional effort, you can find a rhythm that works best for you.
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