So I've been working from home for 2 years now and don't get me wrong, no commute is amazing. But my boss expects me to be available 24/7 and my family doesn't understand that just because I'm home doesn't mean I can help with stuff. Had my son ask why I'm in meetings all day when I'm right there. Trying to set better boundaries but it's tough.
The 24/7 availability trap is real. Have you tried literally closing your laptop at a certain time and telling your boss those are your boundaries?
Been there. The commute was gone but my sanity went with it. Setting office hours and actually unplugging saved my family life.
Remote work is tough because work bleeds into everything. You gotta set hard stop times and actually stick to them or your family pays the price. Easier said than done though.
Set hard stop times for work. I know it sounds simple but if you don't actually leave your desk, your brain doesn't switch gears. My kids know that at 5:30 I'm done and we do something together. Saved my sanity.
The always-on culture of remote work is brutal. My recommendation is actually blocking your calendar with fake meetings at the end of the day so people stop pinging you and you get a hard break. Works surprisingly well.
Two years in and you're just now hitting this wall? I think that's normal. Remote work feels great until it doesn't. The blur between work time and dad time is real. I'd say try to create some kind of end-of-day ritual, even if it's just a walk around the block before you're 'off duty'.
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This is the thing nobody tells you about remote work with kids. Yeah no commute but now you're home ALL the time and your brain doesn't get that decompression period. Do you at least have a dedicated workspace where you can close a door?