How do you balance work and home life?

Prior to COVID-19 forcing the world to change, my work/life balance was very stable, and in no small part because I have an amazing manager who is a huge proponent of work/life balance.

Before 2020 was easy. Job expectations were simple. Working hours were 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, come into the office every weekday, and no requirement for having work email on my phone (although it was available and there used to be a technology stipend for using personal devices in such a way.) Once 5:00 PM hit, and I was out the doors, I was untouchable.

The lines blurred after everything got turned upside down with everyone working remotely. At the time, my computer setup at home was in my bedroom, so that’s where my work setup landed as well. I didn’t have the luxury of a dedicated home office space. Anyways, work/life balance was temporarily very messed up. Projects were put on hold, with only critical ones receiving attention, and we had a 40% reduction in hours. (I’m fortunate to be paid on a salary, but that meant tracking our time as Unpaid to trick the system. For those of us who could afford it, we filled in with PTO.) So, for a few months we worked 3-day staggered shifts. Between working hours and my private life I spent way too much time in my bedroom because I basically had nowhere else to go. The lines had become so blurry. I could literally roll out of bed at 8:00 AM to login and make sure I was online before starting my normal morning routine. I could occasionally spend time playing games during “normal” work hours because those reduced work hours made it so schedules didn’t line up and I could stretch out work into the evenings as needed. I wasn’t going anywhere and had nowhere to be, so it didn’t matter if I worked until 8:00 PM just as long as my work got done.

When things began to return to normal (first hours, then going back into the office) is when that work/life balance stabilized. Apart from my manager, I was the only one on my team who opted to come back into the office. I needed the structure. My manager’s expectations hadn’t changed, but I saw the irreversible “damage” that had been done. My co-workers who all preferred working remotely had lost that original semblance of balance and embraced a new one. They liked the flexibility, and made it work, so more power to them, but I REALLY needed that structure in my day. My time outside of work is practically sacred, so once again, once 5:00 PM hits, I’m gone.