By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, June 2: The lockdown came with very little time to prepare and many people’s workplaces shut down before they could comprehend the situation. But after some time to adjust, many offices put work-from-home (WFH) systems in place so that their business would not stop and their calendar would not be upset.
But people are struggling to adapt to the changed work condition, either having to compromise on their office engagements or household lives. “People thought working from home would be having their cake and eating it too, but it isn’t,” said Abhusan Singh.
Singh is a software developer by profession and a self-styled ‘work guru’ and he said that the main reason people were stumbling was because the work-from-home arrangement had blurred the lines between their professional and personal spaces. “People cannot seem to figure out if their office is at home or home is at office right now. The distinct work space is lost and family and job are colliding with each other.”
He recommends that people stick to regular work hours to maintain a work-life balance. “Create a 10-5 work schedule and stick to it, just like you would do in your office,” he said, adding, “Working whenever you feel like it just because you are at home is not good. That invites distractions and interruptions. Your work and life will just keep cutting into each other that way.”
However, the 10-5 work schedule should have enough breaks; at least three, in Singh’s opinion. “Walk away from your screen for 15-20 minutes every few hours. Unwind and walk around,” he said. “Your entire office day isn’t filled with work so there is no reason that WFH should be.”
In addition to maintaining regular hours, one should also ask for help from their families. Sanu Bajracharya is a teacher who, like many others in her profession, takes online classes for her pupils these days. She feels that her family’s help has made her WFH easier.
“At first it was difficult to be a full-time wife, mother, daughter-in-law and teacher simultaneously and I was utterly overloaded,” she recounted her experience. “With a lot of hesitation, I explained my situation to the family and requested them to share in the work and to my happiness, all of them agreed without any qualms.”
Bajracharya’s parents-in-law look after her three children and her husband takes care of the afternoon snacks, leaving her free to focus on her classes. The work division has also prevented exhaustion, meaning that she is able to give her all to her house and family as well.