your FIVE-STEP STRATEGY
STEP ONE Establish a routine
REMEMBER WORK-LIFE BALANCE? It used to mean leaving the office and switching off, but it’s harder to separate professional and home life now. Instead, you need to give your day structure. Make lists of things you need to accomplish and reward yourself as you tick off each one. This can be as simple as making a cup of tea or spending a few minutes on social media, says Dr Warwick.
Scheduling in a lunch hour is a vital part of this process because at home we don’t have the same “visual cues” - colleagues grabbing their coats, for example - as we do when we’re in the office to tell us it’s time to take a break. Block out a lunch hour on your calendar, turn on your away-from-keyboard notification and leave your work area. All these things will help to reinforce the idea that this time belongs to you for non-work activities.