1 Die-Hard Rule for Keeping Your Sanity as a Remote Worker

When I first started my career, I thought the more I allowed work to take over every waking moment of my life, the more it showed how dedicated I was, and the faster I would find success. Blame it on shows that glorified devout career women, or cultural ideals, but I grew up imagining myself as an authoritative woman in a power suit with a large bank account. Fast-forward to my early 20’s and the beginning of my career, running around Manhattan trying to fix the mistakes of my lazy bosses who weren’t paying me enough to afford a monthly metro ticket, and I started to feel a bit enlightened on my new found life priorities.

Develop a Strict Work-Life Balance

Let me throw this out there: just because you’re a remote worker doesn’t mean you should be working all the time. Seriously, it’s not normal to work around the clock, which is why time management and a strict work-life balance is crucial to a remote worker’s routine.

When you work from home, it can be tempting to extend your work hours and forget about the rest of the world. But this isn’t healthy! It’s so important to find a balance between work time and free time, without letting the two bleed into each other.

When I was in college, everyone would constantly brag about pulling all-nighters to cram in all the brilliant projects they were putting together for their classes. At that point, it seemed obvious that these were the people who would go far in life and end up as successful designers and artists.

But when I tried to pull all-nighters to emulate what they had, I would get the work done and then be too exhausted to focus in class. I realized that having a balance between working, sleeping, eating, and spending time with people I enjoy had a far more positive impact on my work and mindset than striving for a life that’s all work and no play.

It’s necessary for every remote worker to establish boundaries to keep their work on track without neglecting the other aspects of life. This is especially helpful if you’re someone who easily feels guilty for not getting enough done.

As an American, I feel like I grew up with this idea that working constantly equates to success. We’re expected to pull all-nighters in school, clock 40+ hours a week, answer office calls at home, reply to emails on the weekends, and intertwine our work with our lives. These notions make it simple to feel guilty: if you’re not working around the clock, you’re not going to be successful.

But as a remote worker, it’s important to dispel this idea from your mind and remember what 21-year-old me learned the hard way… It’s essential to remember that burnout is real and you will be a much more successful worker if you take time for yourself, too.