Couples living and working together in lockdown
Difficult as WFH (one of the acronyms made popular by Covid-19) is, it has completely swung the work-life balance equation in favour of life.
Family members who previouslyhadnotimeforeachotheror to do things together as a unit -courtesydemandingjobsandacademic and extra-curricular schedules -- are now discovering that have a little too much. And even those who are seriously working from home are discovering that it isn’t as easy as it sounds on paper. So,howdopeoplemanagetowork and live together in these times of self-isolation, social distancing, and quarantines ?
HERE ARE SOME TIPS. Plan work, and house work:
Splitchoressuchaswashingupor vacuuming the house. And also draw up plans for work -- decide whatyouwanttogetaccomplished andfocusonthat.shareschedules .Thiswillhelpdrawboundariesof time and interaction
Prepare yourself mentally, and adjust:
As Sangita Rathi, a Delhi-based country commercial manager with HP, and her husband Sanjiv Rathi, an insolvency professional, say, the biggest change and challenge is getting used to having each other around all through the day. “But we’re beginning to like it,” says Sanjiv.
Find (home) office space:
Working out of the study together maybeinterestingatfirst--butthe noveltywillrunoutfast,especially if WFH schedules involve video conferences or conference calls (manydo).identifynooksfarfrom each other, even if it means one is the dining table and the other is a chairinthebalcony.andavoidgettinginvolvedineachother’swork.
This is a time when three is not a crowd. Even though you may be social distancing,haveregularphoneconversations
Find a buffer:
with neighbours or close friendstomaintainthesemblance of being in a community. Shaonli Hazra,a homemaker from Indirapuram, Ghaziabad, says her husband Arnab Hazra, an economist, is dropping in more often to visit his father who stays in a building close by. “That gets us off each other’s backs.”
Schedule family time:
With commutes no longer part of the workday,mostpeoplearegoingto find they have more time on their hands. Plan family activities together.pulloutoldboardgames. Embarkondo-it-yourselfprojects. And, of course, get the children involved in household chores.