How to work from home without losing your mind.
According to Owl Labs, 54% of U.S. workers work remotely at least once per month. With many companies and schools taking precautions to reduce the spread of Covid-19, working remotely is about to make a dramatic increase.
Here’s what you need to know to make working from home a successful and dare-I-say enjoyable experience.
1. Keep structure in your day.
Get up at the same time, take a shower, get dressed, eat breakfast, eat lunch. Work your same hours. It can be tempting to make your work hours more flexible, but keeping structure in your day— especially when you first start working from home — can help you stay in a positive rhythm or flow. Instead of getting to the end of the day and realizing you spend the majority of it cleaning your house and online shopping. Plus, no one wants to show up to an unscheduled Zoom call with bed-head hair.
2. Create a clear separation between your work hours and your at-home hours.
Create a ritual about starting work and ending it. Maybe you go for a 15 minute walk in the morning and in the evening as part of your daily “commute”. Maybe you finally start a daily meditation practice. You might also communicate with your partner that you’ve started your official “work-day” in order to keep conversations about household logistics to a minimum. This will help reduce interruptions from a well-intentioned partner that might increase your (or their) stress levels. Don’t do laundry, wash the dishes, or try to clean the bathroom over your lunch hour. Use the “extra” time you have to reach out to others, move your body, learn something new, or catch up on a personal project.
3.Create a dedicated space.
Having a dedicated workspace is especially helpful when you work from home. Maybe it’s the kitchen table, a folding table in the basement, or a desk in a spare bedroom. If you have to set-up and clear your space everyday — that’s okay too! Ideally, choose a spot with good natural light, few distractions, and limited visible clutter. Sitting on the couch might work for awhile, but it often leads to back-pain from bad posture.
4. Move your body.
Physical movement is so important to keeping your mental and physical energy up while working at home. Go for short walks throughout the day, incorporate seated yoga stretches, do jumping jacks, or maybe even rock out a full Youtube workout session.
5. Pick up the phone and call someone.
You’ll be shocked at how much more work you can get done in a day when you aren’t interrupted on a regular basis. While that might seem like blessing, it’s a double edged sword. We need human interaction — yes, even if you’re an introvert— and text messages and emails won’t cut it. Pick up the phone, call your co-worker to discuss the project and make sure you incorporate a little bit of “small talk.” Showing interest in other people’s lives isn’t a time suck, it’s how you build compradore. Over your lunch hour, or on your new morning “walking commute”, call or meet up with a friend to chat about the day. Don’t rely on Instagram or Facebook. Spending too much time on those mediums can actually make you feel more lonely.
6. Take breaks.
When you work from an office, you often have built-in breaks as you chat with a co-worker on your way to the kitchen. Set a timer to do an hour or ninety minutes of work and then reward yourself with a timed five minute read, meditation practice, stretch, Instagram scroll, or quick text message to a friend. Keeping yourself in a good mood with little wellness breaks, is important for your productivity and your feeling of a satisfying day.
7. Don’t be too hard on yourself.
Adjusting to working from home can take some getting used to. No one will be perfect at it. Make sure you extend that same mindset to co-workers too.
Check out more mindful living articles.
