How to Transition to Working From Home
I have to admit... I don’t like working from home. The six months that I worked for a design lab remotely were one of the hardest in my career. Not because of the work - I loved the work - but because of the feeling of being stuck at home. And there wasn’t even a pandemic to contend with then!
So today, I want to share with you a few things I learned from teleworking that I’m implementing back into my life now as I do social distancing in order to help contain the COVID-19 virus.
#1 - Brush your teeth and put on clean clothes when you wake up. Really, it’s a game changer!
It’s so tempting to stay in your PJ’s or the same sweatpants for days at a time. And it’s okay to do that for the first few days of working at home but it will turn old real fast. And it might affect your mental health negatively. You can start feeling groggy, slouchy, icky and unmotivated. Brushing your teeth and putting on clean clothes offers you a fresh start to the day.
#2 - Set a timer for Work Time and Break Time
I found myself in one of two situations: Either my day felt like a constant jumping between work time and break time leading to feeling unproductive AND unrestful. Or my day was non-stop working since there was no co-worker to talk to (we forget that moments like that give us natural breaks during the day) leaving me exhausted by the end of the day. The solution was to set a timer for both my working time and my breaks. Pro tip: if you are feeling super unmotivated, set a time for 20 minutes to work and then take an intentional 5 minute break. Repeat or extend the time to help yourself get in the groove of working and resting.
#3 - Open a window to let in fresh air
Ideally you can find time and desire to go for a solo walk outside (away from other people) to get some fresh air during your break. It helps to get out of the house. But sometimes we can’t quite get there so the next best thing is open a window a breath in the fresh air as if you were a dog hanging its head outside the car window. Listen to the sounds, feel if there’s a breeze, take deep breaths.
#4 - Stretch... at your desk, while your coffee is brewing, as your lunch is heating up.
Exercising is always helpful to refresh the mind and body but sometimes working from home and during COVID-19 social distancing, your routine is broken and you’re figuring out the new schedule of things. Stretching is something you can do without thinking too hard about it. Pro tip: If you can pace or walk around your home during a phone meeting, it’s an easy place to slip in more movement.
Here are some of my favorites!
Thank you for doing your part in helping our community stay safe!
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