Is your life out of balance?

Your workflow gets interrupted and you end up accomplishing less, or your relaxation gets disturbed and your thoughts turn to work instead of something more enjoyable.

If you work from home, have a dedicated area to work from. Turn your spare bedroom into a dedicated home office. That way, when your work time is through, you can just close the door and leave work behind just like you would if you were commuting.

If you don’t have the space to do that, then have a dedicated area that you work from. This can be a corner of your bedroom or even a closet you can shut the doors on at the end of the working day. Avoid areas other people use (like your kitchen), as it’s best to have somewhere that just you use for work. Set regular working hours and stick to them. It’s also a good idea to have separate “home”and “work” phone numbers. That way, when a client tries to call you at 10pm to discuss a project, the call can go straight through to voicemail.

If you work for an employer, don’t do work on your own time. If the company wants you to run an errand on your way home, tell them you expect to be paid for the time. Don’t answer work e-mails on your own time, and set a different ringtone on your cellphone for your boss’s number.

PS. There are lot more tips in my chaos to calm Course. Grab your copy here: