My Top tips for Working from Home, Part I
1 Get dressed every work morning in your regular ‘work’ clothes. No sitting at the dining table in your PJ’s. Clothes and appearance have a silent power over us. In the 90’s I argued with my management committee against dress down Friday because it did impact on mindset and productivity. If you are a guy who shaves every day then continue to do that. If you are a woman who would never leave the house without full make-up, then carry on with that routine.
2 Set a morning routine. The only thing that is different is you don’t have a commute to the office. So carry on as normal, wake at the same time or a little earlier, shower, breakfast, prepare lunch and instead of taking the commute, take a walk or some other form of exercise. Boost your mood with a blast of those happy hormones which exercise gives you.
3 Set aside space in your home, which is totally designated to your work. Find a place in your home where you can set up your workspace and if possible cover it up or clear it away at the end of your work day. If you have a spare bedroom, that would be ideal to make into office space and you can close the door as you leave work.
4 If at all possible, avoid working in the bedroom or living room. These are both areas where you need to rest and recuperate and not be reminded of work. Also removing all digital equipment from the bedroom enhances your sleep.
5 Take time for Self-Care. Working from home can be isolating and indeed lonely. In fact it can be easy to question the meaning of being productive and happy which can lead to our self-care being
disregarded. Prioritise your own health and safety. Maybe you need to exercise each day or at least find time for exercise. Maybe you need to meditate, play your guitar, paint, take a bubble bath or other activity that feeds your soul. Whatever it is for you, make sure you do it, even if initially you find it a challenge. Working from home can blur the work/non-work boundaries
6 Every hour get up, walk around and stretch for 5 minutes. Take a trot around the garden or look out of the window for a glimpse at nature, practice some breathing exercises, listen to music and dance like no one is watching, sing like no one is listening or do anything else you like to raise your Vibe.
7 If you normally have after work drinks with colleagues on a Friday night, no reason at all to stop. Meet them virtually via zoom*. For a few years now, I’ve been meeting with colleagues virtually every Friday at 5pm for a couple of hours as they are based in other parts of the country and the world.
8 Set some boundaries and have the rest of the household respect that you are at work and not to disturb you, unless of course a situation has arisen where they would disturb you if you were at your normal place of work.
9 Set real work hours. Use time management apps. It can be very easy to lose track of time and overwork, which can be especially annoying for your loved ones sharing the same house.
10 Get comfortable office furniture. There is nothing worse trying to work in a position which creates aches and pains.
I’d love to know how you get on. Let me know.
With love,
If you’d like more information, grab a cuppa and hop on a no-obligation call to find out how I can help and, more importantly, if I’m the right person for you.
Love
Marie xox