How is a woman supposed to do everything? Isn’t she a human being too who is equally worried and stressed during the quarantine time and yet has to shoulder unaccountable responsibilities? To top up the stress, Work from Home is another addition to a woman’s list of tasks. Because as a woman of the house, she is expected to do everything right from making food, doing dishes, cleaning the house to looking after her child and elders but also execute her professional responsibilities. 

But, being a woman shouldn’t be the sole reason for your growing troubles. While some may efficiently fulfill all the household chores as well as job responsibilities, it should not mean that it is expected out of each and every one of us. Following are a few steps that will help you to set boundaries while working from home. 

1) Openly express your needs and boundaries: ‘You want it, you get it’ is the simplest rule you should follow. You need quiet time for your meeting and want the husband to take care of the child for a couple of hours – tell it out straight. It is important for your family to know that you have work too and now you share a home and also a professional workspace with them. Hence, it is important for you to communicate when you have meetings or need quiet time. Clarifying these expectations and being patient will help you go a long way in keeping stress levels low with a higher level of mutual understanding which in turn allows you to focus and work better in your home environment. It will also keep family discord under control. The more proactive you are about communication, the better – so every day, at the start of  the day, be clear about your work schedule and expectations as well so that they all are aware of their roles. And to be fair, ask them what they need from your side to keep a balance. 

2) Create a workspace and a timetable and stick to it: It is obvious to think that it’s okay for you to sit in the bed and work for a few hours. But, you need to know that if you carry your work everywhere you would tend to keep doing it throughout the day which might also lead to procrastination and spread of lethargic vibes. Also, it may give wrong signals about yo sincerity towards your office commitments. Carrying your work to the kitchen or living room while multitasking might also make you more anxious about the smallest of things. Hence, it is important to separate your work and relaxing zones in the house. For breaks in between, you can relax by going to another room and spending time there with your kids or spouse but make sure you have a timeline for your working and break schedules to keep things on track for yourself and others too. If necessary you can also set alarms and specify the time slots to your family so it gets easier for them to keep a check about when you are working and when you aren’t.

3) Make a daily routine plan for all or at least yourself: Thoughts like, I am working from home so I can skip taking a shower or that I can sleep in longer might stress you later during the day with incomplete tasks. Hence, it’s important to stick to your routine as before as closely as you can. Right now, the world is a problem, so our fight-or-flight responses are on fire and the caveman brain (the working from the home brain) is making things run and it can get difficult to stay focused if you don’t prioritize you goals for each day.  It will also help you be better organized at home and keep everyone’s expectations—fancy dinner, deep cleaning—etc,. in check.  Set times for breakfast or meals as you would before when going off to work.

 4) Socialize as much as you can with family as well as colleagues and friends: When the whole office suddenly starts working from home, there is a high chance of you cutting off a lot of the casual social interactions which might create monotony in your work pattern like a hamster-wheel feeling. And thus, it is advisable to reach out to friends as well, as you would before the onset of the pandemic, for a relaxing break. Have a face Time, Zoom call or Hangout calls with your close bunch to break the monotony and maintain a semblance at normalcy. 

 5) Lower the distractions as much as possible: Making  meal in the absence of househelp, watering the plants, doing the laundry or cleaning a closet are a few household tasks that might buy your attention while working from home. Make sure you don’t get distracted by these tasks; instead add an extra slot of one hour or so in your daily plan to focus on these tasks. Make your priority lists, segregate jobs, delegate responsibilities and motor on. Jobs such as deep cleaning a closet can be pushed to weekends when there would be no office work.

By following these quick and easy steps of setting boundaries for others as well as yourself, you’ll be significantly more productive.