My Work-Life Struggle

One of the things I have noticed most keenly as someone who works from home without keeping formal hours is that things often don’t go as planned. What feels like nothing — say, skipping a planned break because you’re in the groove — adds up swiftly to an avalanche of things and turns into all work and no play. Which isn’t anyone else’s fault. With my neurodivergency, I tend to be subject to hyperfocus issues as well as issues with perception of my needs. I don’t usually feel hunger/thirst/bathroom needs like most folks do until it gets to the point where my body is screaming. As such, it’s extremely easy for me to overwork without really noticing it until the burnout has arrived full force.

I’m sure a lot of folks who work from home can relate to the fact that it’s really hard to “turn off.” Particularly in this era where the people we work with and for frequently text or message us during off hours. It’s not that I am angry that work goes on and people need me during times when I’m not available, but the fact that I don’t have the ability to turn things off is an issue. As such, I’ve been swimming against the tide, trying to figure out how to cultivate something healthier.

Time blocking helps, but when I get so embroiled in a project that feels extremely urgent that I skip meals or decide I don’t really need to watch Netflix and unwind at the end of the day, it is only so useful. And the problem isn’t something I can externalize and blame on other people, either. It’s all me. It’s my attention issues coming to the forefront and creating this environment where I don’t feel like I can breathe.

Also, like many who work from home, my main work computer is also my entertainment center. My desktop is the only system I have that is powerful enough to run the typesetting and design programs I use for things like typesetting and layout, and while I can write on almost anything, my recent work has been more in the design and layout area.

It’s gotten to the point that even my personal writing is suffering, which is a problem for me as an author. I’ve become so deeply embroiled in Lostlorn Games that I am starting to see other pursuits suffer, and I need to find a way to mitigate that somehow. Part of it, I think, is the fact that we use Facebook Messenger to communicate which means every time I log in to see what my friends are up to, I am inundated with work messages, and ignoring that is a challenge.

I don’t have a solution to this problem yet, but when and if I get one, I’ll let you know. However, it’s definitely something we are all facing in modern work-at-home society, and I am no different. How do you handle this sort of thing? What’s your technique for stepping back from work and creating boundaries between off hours and working hours? I’d love to know.