How to Leave Work At Work (When You Work from Home)

While working from home may offer more flexibility, your job can also find a way to creep into your personal life. Just because you can work from anywhere, it doesn’t mean you should. 

Jennifer Anderson, chair for WSU’s Department of Business Administration & Marketing in WSU’s John B. Goddard School of Business & Economics, noted that there aren’t really work-from-home norms developed like there are for the office. Therefore it’s up to us to create our own work-from-home rituals. 

Here are a few methods to try: 

• Designate a particular space in your home for work, and stick to performing your job in that space.
• When work time ends, shut your laptop and close the door to your workspace, creating a physical barrier between you and your job. 
• You might be able to get away with those sweatpants on a Zoom call, but still changing your clothing for your job (and into relaxing clothing after) can help set a tone. 
• Do your best to ignore your email once work is over. If it’s not urgent, it can wait, and it’s usually not urgent. 

You might have your own at-home rituals that you’re developing for keeping your work and personal lives separate. Keep at them!