We live in a society that demands commitment to be successful, but putting in too many hours is actually detrimental to your health. Employees that work at least eleven hours a day have a higher risk of depression, cardiovascular issues, insomnia, and even early onset dementia.

It’s important to balance work and your life outside of it, not only for your sanity, but also to increase efficiency at work. But when you are the owner of a home-based business, sometimes it might seem impossible to separate your two lives when they share the same space.

With these work life balance tips, you can create a perfect balance between work and your personal life:

Dress for work

If you don’t treat your home-based business like a real workplace, then it’s not going to be a very productive space in which to work. While some business owners like to take advantage of working from home by staying in their pajamas all day, this may not be the best option for someone who wants to stay professional and efficient.

Make a point to dress for work every day. It will help you get in a work-driven mindset and act more professional. Even in a home-based business, you have to remember that you are in a work environment and you should dress accordingly. And of course, when you are done working for the day, those pajamas will offer far more comfort than if you had been lounging in them all day.

Create separate spaces

On the subject of work environments, you should create separate spaces for work and play. To create a more business-like environment, set aside an area in your home to serve as your office, and only perform work duties in that space. Similarly, establish at least one work-free space that is meant purely for entertainment, relaxation, and fun, and do not ever let work cross your established boundaries.

Change of scenery

It’s common for entrepreneurs who work from home to feel stir-crazy, so it’s important to occasionally get a change of scenery. Whether it is during work hours or your downtime, make a point to leave the house.

While working, schedule meetings at other locations, work from your favorite coffee shop, or rent a day office for a couple hours or a few days. Once you are done working for the day or the weekend, make plans that involve going somewhere else: see a movie, go to the park, or go to a restaurant with friends and family.

Learn to turn off work

This may be the most important thing, but also most challenging, that owners of home-based businesses must do. Create a schedule for yourself, starting work at one specific time and clocking out at another. Time outside of those designated hours should be spent doing anything but work.

This means you need to disconnect so that your business is out of sight. Refrain from responding to calls or emails. You could even use virtual receptionist services to assist you by answering calls with a personalized greeting and routing them to you when you are available during work hours so that you aren’t tempted to keep working. Live virtual receptionists come with other features, like voicemail management, so you can rest easy knowing that any calls you miss outside of work hours will be recorded, transcribed, and emailed to you so you can respond when you return to work.

Avoid overtime

When you create a schedule for yourself, stick to it and try to stay within a 7-8 hour workday. This will help you avoid burnout and leave more time for you to unwind and tend to other details of your life. Working overtime is associated with a lot of mental disorders, so it is important to limit your amount of overtime hours to maintain overall health and happiness.

With a few adjustments, an adamant schedule, and commitment to both work and your personal life, it’s possible to find a balance between work and your personal life, even when you work from home.

Contact us to learn more about how Davinci Virtual Receptionist Services can help you strike a work life balance today.