During the last few months we have all recognised the dramatic change that Covid-19 has brought in our personal and work dynamics. The term ‘Work-Life balance’ has been trending during this period, but as we slowly understand more about the flow in our daily life, this familiar concept seems to become outdated. Instead of setting strict boundaries between work and life, following the notion of emphasising integration between work and life is found out to be more beneficial. 

Work-life integration works as a fulfilling plan to achieve better results in one’s lifestyle. For example, someone who adheres to the system of work life balance would work tirelessly for 6-8 hours starting and then spend the remaining time of the day to relax with their family or friends. So what does work-life integration look like during the phase of Covid-19? It could be a father inviting his children or partner to discuss challenges of work with him over dinner or it could be leaving the office early and responding to emails at home. 

If you want to strive towards work-life integration, here are some tips to help you. 

Make a plan

Work-life integration should be taken from a personal approach. It does not work the same way for everyone, so choose how you would like to organise your time daily based on your personal and work responsibilities. A good tip is highlighting your priority tasks and trying to tackle them first. Since work-life integration provides you with some flexibility, planning your daily activities will help you tick off your boxes instead of procrastinating. 

Coordinate your plans. If you have to arrange for time to have breakfast together as a family or pick your children up from school, ensure you arrange your time in conjunction with others involved . Work life integration should make your life easier not harder. 

Productivity

Many of us tend to set time boundaries for productivity. Instead of associating time with productivity, we should focus on the value of work we create. Think of productivity being the priority and not the hours you put into it. Being at home it might be harder to stay focused for hours continuously. Everyone works at a different pace, there will be particular hours in a day when you are more focused and can produce more results. Captivate on those hours and get the hardest tasks done then. Ensure that you maintain an appropriate body clock that works for you, spending more time at home we are tempted to sleep longer or get up late. 

Try to also get the smaller easier tasks out of the way as soon as possible. This will help you to prevent your work piling up and also give you more confidence to complete all your tasks. Reward yourself when you complete your deadlines for the day or week, by cooking, watching a favourite TV show or going for a walk outside. 

Unplug

Having technology a finger tap away can be detrimental sometimes. Technology does have a lot to offer to work-life integration, but often we can find ourselves responding to work emails and messaging friends past the time we have allowed for them. Organising your schedule for the day should be enforced with discipline. 

To maintain high levels of productivity throughout the day, you need to keep a fresh and clear mind. Thus, taking well accounted breaks throughout the day will help you do so. You can allot your break time to cook for your children or take your dog for a walk. This will help you not think about work all the time and refresh your mind and body. 

Conclusion 

With the changes that Covid-19 has brought into our personal life and work culture, we need to remind ourselves that we do not have to think of work and home time as being separate distinct blocks. Working from home has been especially hard for families who have duties to take care of their children. This is where work-life integration helps families in situation like these to feel connected and enable them to feel a part of each others lives. 

It is not expected to completely merge your work and home life, but trying to integrate some aspects of it will help you achieve your career and personal responsibilities simultaneously. 

As our workplace culture evolves along with its policies, the benefits of work-life integration can become an essential element to ensure the wellbeing of the employees and the company.