You’re a supplier sourcing professional working remotely. How do you balance work and life?

One thing I have found helpful in my career is setting a clear goals and expectations. This will help in knowing what to do, when to do it, why one is doing it, what to achieve after it is been done. Assigning time to each task, meetings, other schedules while working remotely will go a long way to help achieve work - life balance. Corporate goals will be achieved above and beyond the set targets, while family will also be happy that time assigned to them is respected and worthwhile. Burn out will happen without a clearly defined goals and what others are expecting from us. Flexibility is also important, as sometimes some important emergency task could come up, and we will need to sacrifice some little time outside work time to sort it out.

To balance work and life while working remotely as a supplier sourcing professional, establish clear boundaries between work hours and personal time. Create a dedicated workspace and stick to a consistent schedule. Prioritize tasks effectively and avoid overcommitting. Take regular breaks to recharge and maintain focus. Engage in hobbies or activities outside of work to unwind and relax. Communicate boundaries with colleagues and set expectations for availability. Lastly, practice self-care and maintain a healthy work-life balance to avoid burnout.

Online (Virtual) Exhibitions is one good way to get to know the remote/overseas supplier without spending too much resources on travelling physically. Also, the development of modern communication platforms allows us to have a video conference with a supplier who is thousands of Kilometers away from us. Legitimate suppliers will agree to do this even once a week for you to be certain that the product/order is delivered with quality and the right quantity. Secured platforms for order placement as well as payments could allow us to track the status of the orders from order to ship too. Various tech-related aspects like these can help us to have a good work-life balance.

As a single mother working remotely for many years, I have found this point by far the most challenging. If possible, you should create a separate space for work. This is especially important if you work remotely from home. Make sure it is clear to your family members when you are working and not. Try not to let your working hours encroach on your free time. Even if it feels better in the moment to "check some stuff" on Sunday - the long term effects are a blurring of work/free time. If your manager is not ok with you not answering emails in your free time, you need a new manager. Maintain your boundaries.