All the work from home pros you can handle
Let’s be honest. Working from home can be both awesome and waistline destroying. And all the best intentions in the world can still throw you off track. It’s awesome to be able to work in bed, cook your lunch and the furthest commute is from your couch to the kitchen. In your socks.
That’s my favourite part. When your commute used to consist of one bus and two trains ranging anywhere between 30 min to 2 hours, this is a welcome change. My new commute is quiet, slower-paced and predictable every time.
Setting up my work from home routine and schedule is always a work in progress and with a little bit of discipline, I’ve learned when I function the best and when I need to give myself a kick in the pants.
However, there were some things I learned along the way that I need that no app can help me with (well, maybe an alarm.. or two).
1. Wear a bra.
This was actually advice given to me from someone who took a year sabbatical. More specifically, she advised me to change out of my pajamas. I didn’t have a problem with that as it turned out. What I did have a problem with was in the undergarment area.
After a long day in the office, the first thing I do is change into ‘home clothes’ as translated from Chinese. That includes releasing myself from the cage around the chest. Being able to throw that thing into the hamper was like a small win every evening. The glee that sets in makes you want to break into song as you cook dinner.
But then switching to a work from home setup, I’ve realized this was part of an important process in my brain. Not wearing one at home made it feel like I was in constant lounge mode. And something about putting it on made me less lazy and interestingly, less likely to snack (note: I opt for soft bras or sports bras. Uncomfortable ones are saved for special occasions).
Anyways, this is obviously pretty personal and yours may not be a bra. But whatever that piece of clothing is that puts you into work mode, wear it. Whatever helps you step into your boss-self in the morning, do it.
2. Move once an hour.
Or even every half hour according to some articles. One of the best things about not being in an office is to be able to take more frequent breaks without looking like you’re just wandering the floor. But who am I kidding? I work longer when I’m at home than I ever did at the office.
Unfortunately, for someone who was able to mould herself into a chair, repetitive stress syndrome and lower back strain were one of two things that made me check the clock.
But setting and following this rule for myself helped me to be more mindful of my health.
Because studies show that even if you go out for a run in the morning, being sedentary for the rest of the day still increases your risk for heart disease (according to Harvard Health, WebMD and other medical journals and publications).
So now that you’re out of the office chair and in the comfort of your home, take the opportunity to get up and move every hour. Do some stretching, walk around the living room or have Alexa turn on a song once an hour to dance to. For me, I do 50 to 100 jumping jacks and sometimes, just sometimes, I leave on the Wii for one song of Just Dance.
More and more studies also show that movement can improve creative thinking even if it’s as simple as walking around your room, on the treadmill or a walk outside.
So however you choose to do it, I highly suggest building this into your routine. It actually made my day more fun. Sometimes, I just had to step away from the desk and dance like no one’s watching before getting back to the task at hand.
Nothing to lose. Everything to gain.
3. Get enough sleep
I’m a night owl. Always have been and I’ll probably always will be. Of course, I can’t function on 4 hours of sleep constantly like I did in college, but my best ideas still usually come late at night or early in the morning.
And because I travelled a lot at the beginning of my contract days, my schedule and routine can vary quite a bit because of where I was in the world. But the general idea was still the same. Sleep before 12, wake up by 9. Yes, that’s 9 hours allotted but it doesn’t mean I always had good sleep.
That’s because whenever I could, I would steal an extra hour to sleep in here or stay up an extra hour there for another episode. As much as I tried, I wasn’t disciplined enough to stick to a schedule.
But the amount and quality of sleep you have plays a huge role in your metabolism and over time, in your mental health.
So not only get enough sleep but stick to a schedule. You have the advantage to get more sleep with your non-existent commute. But once you find what works for you, follow it. So maybe don’t fall asleep with the TV or don’t press snooze for the fifth time.
And tip: spend time on creating a night routine that eases you into sleep and a morning routine that gently wakes you up. Whatever that looks like for you, this is a great investment.
4. Vitamin D – the sunshine vitamin
Living in the East Coast, the winter months were very hard for me and I’m sure many people can relate. I’d always been a little vitamin D deficient and taking a pill every day didn’t seem to compare to getting actual sunlight.
So whenever I could, I would escape to somewhere hot as many East Coasters do. In fact, I hated winter so much that one year I escaped to Australia to be there for their summer. And it was an amazing experience as I brought back a few habits and made a few crucial decisions while I was there.
- I made the move from the East to the West Coast for more sun and mountains.
- I found a house where my bedroom faced South East to get as much sunlight in the morning and throughout the day.
- I’d stand or stretch in the sun for a few minutes each morning to soak up the morning sun
There are, of course, a few other details to make such a big move. However, honestly, getting more light in my day was a major factor. It changed my mood and lifted my spirits. I started noticing a pattern when the days I felt the lowest were always grey days. And perpetual grey days really began to affect productivity and motivation.
So even if it can be colder here (I moved further North!), the sun makes up for all of it. I even began to enjoy winters here because there are so many activities and opportunities to be outside for fresh air.
Therefore, don’t discount the powers of vitamin D. It reduces depression, boosts weight loss and contributes to several important functions in your body to run smoothly. Like absorbing calcium. Keep them bones strong!
You can check with your doctor at your next physical if need be. But just standing outside or at the window that lets in the most light, it will rejuvenate you. It can be as simple as that.
5. Prioritize self-care
This can be a whole article on its own. Self-care and mental health is taken much more seriously and I’m so thankful that it is. If you currently work for an organization that does not help you to prioritize self-care, perhaps its time to consider a change.
Self-care was something I was never good at. I’d always believed in putting others before myself and if I’m helping someone, to do the best that I can. But there’s a whole other part to this that no one told me about growing up. It was something I had to learn on my own. The hard way.
No one told me that it was ok to take a break. Just push through – that shows your strength and resilience. No one told me that it was ok to say no. Be helpful, learn and show how valuable you are. No one told me it was ok to think about what I wanted. That would be selfish and unbecoming.
By the end, I became a people-pleasing, mask-wearing young adult. I had burned out twice before I was 28 with no idea what I wanted or how to get out of the situation.
I just knew that continuing in this way was no one’s fault but my own.
Working from home and self-care
Whether you work from home or not, self-care and mental wellness should be something we are allowed to focus on and prioritize. But it takes practice along with the willingness to break through some bad habits and long-standing negative thinking.
It’s so worth the journey though, towards continued success and joy both professionally and personally.
Whatever your situation is, take some time to think about your day. When do you have some quiet time that’s not dedicated to work? Where could you fit in a little rest and refresh? What boundaries or lines might you have to draw to give yourself some space?
Get your kids involved. Communicate with your spouse. If we learn how to take care of ourselves, we can teach our children to do the same.
Your turn!
So now that you are at home think about that nighttime routine, how you wake up and even a midday refresh. Working from home gives us so many opportunities to be able to optimize our working situation and our wellbeing.
Whether it is a walk in the morning, meditation before bed or baking in the afternoon, be curious to find what works for you and enjoy the process.
As always, I welcome you to share with me! What’s in your top five to work from home success?
