How to Adapt to the New Hybrid
Work World—and Stay Sane
As you toggle between the office and WFH, here’s how to establish a healthy, happy work-life balance in the New Year.
Even though remote work is here to stay, 2022 is looking like the year we’ll finally get back to the office in earnest. So as we start dabbling in office life again, how do we keep our work-life balance in check by holding on to some of the comforts of working at home? And how can we make the most of (or maybe even enjoy) our days at the office? Here are five of our favourite tips for adjusting to life in the new hybrid work-from-home reality.
Reframe what you disliked about office life
It’s true there are negative aspects of going back to the office, but we all know that being stuck at home 24/7 is no picnic either. Take a moment to step back and label your anxieties about going back, then try reframing them. If you hated your pre-pandemic commute, maybe think of it as “me time” for catching up on your favourite shows on your Galaxy Z Fold3 5G. Or maybe a return to in-person meetings is an excuse to be more daring in your personal style by trying out some new looks. You could even think about going into the office as an opportunity to try a new restaurant for lunch every day. After two years, you’ve absorbed some work-from-home tips. Now you can apply the same strategies for breaking up the day to working in the office.
Make going into the office a social event
If there’s anything you missed about the office at all, it’s probably your co-workers and the spontaneous social interactions that happen when you see people every day. So when you go into the office, treat it as an excuse to catch up with people. Set up at least one in-person meeting every time you’re in the office, and don’t be afraid to hold it at a café or over lunch. Going back to our first tip, you could even meet at that new restaurant you promised yourself you were going to try.
Zone out to music or silence
After so many months in the relative quiet of your office at home, you might get distracted by the hustle and bustle of working around other people. So embrace technology and invest in a pair of noise-cancelling headphones like the Galaxy Buds2. Even if you don’t like to listen to music or podcasts while you work, the Active Noice Cancelling feature can be switched on to make even the busiest workplace seem relatively peaceful.
Get in the habit of ‘walk and talk’ meetings
No matter where you’re working, don’t fall into the habit of sitting at a desk all day. Sedentary habits, after all, can be linked to all sorts of physical and mental health problems down the line. Instead, strut your stuff and have your less strenuous meetings over conference call while you take a walk through the park, grab a coffee at a neighborhood café or saunter around the block. You could even combine this with tip number 2 and take a colleague along. No matter how you take your walking meetings, don’t forget to use your Galaxy Watch4 to get credit for your steps.
Create a third workspace
Working hybrid isn’t just a choice between your home and your office. To truly be successful as a hybrid worker, you can—and should—feel comfortable working anywhere. So find a place like a sunny café, a park with Wi-Fi, a shady backyard, or anywhere else you like to work, and log some work hours there. Or go the other direction and get ahead of the curve by becoming a metaverse explorer. With so many companies working hard right now to make the metaverse office the next big thing, try out one of their products or even hold a meeting in a 3D avatar gathering place like Zepeto to prepare for the next frontier of work while keeping things novel and fun.
Ready to level up your hybrid work life?
Here are the tools you need to do it right.
Galaxy Z Fold3 5G
Galaxy Watch4
Galaxy Buds2
