Work is not your second family.

Things I do to balance work and home life:

1. Do home stuff before work – I like doing stuff around the house before work as I have the most energy in the mornings.
2. Don’t give work your all – I don’t mean don’t work hard but don’t overdo it. It makes me laugh when I think of how I was at the start. I was selected for a trial to work from home many years before COVID. They tracked our work online and I would run back from the bathroom to my desk to hit those stats!
3. Your colleagues are not your friends – I learnt this lesson the hard way. I think you can make good friends at work but it’s more of an exception than a norm. Expect most work friendships to be no more than coffee and lunch fillers and someone to talk to when bored at work.
4. Try not to be affected by negative experiences – this one is hard and I’ve had plenty. What I’ve learnt is people typically care more about what affects their workload than what is fair. Speak up if you’re comfortable but don’t expect a positive outcome. The antidote is not through work but your personal life. Focus more on your personal goals so you’re less affected by negativity at work.
5. If you’re unhappy do something about it – I would just talk about how unhappy I was but taking action is what is needed. Update your resume, look for roles, hone your interview skills, etc. Life is too short to stay in a job which makes you unhappy.
6. Switch off after work – I don’t check my emails and switch off once I’m done for the day.
7. Focus on personal goals – I have goals like write for one hour a day and read for one hour a day which made me conscious of how I used my limited time at home. I need to get back into this. If you want your life to be more than what it already is, you need to dedicate enough time for those goals.