Tips for Working From Home During Coronavirus
Working from home is new for a lot of you now that COVID-19 has forced us all to stay home unless essential. I’ve been running an online business here from my home since 2016, and today I’m sharing my tips for working from home with you.
Adopt a “Work From Home” Mindset
Mindset is everything, and it can help you or hinder you. Even though you’re working from home, you have to remember that you’re still at “work”. Even though your dog is super cute today and the fridge is just a few short steps away, you have to shift your brain into “work mode” when it comes time to get things done. That’s why it’s best to set a schedule that you can stick with when you’re new to working from home.
Set a Schedule You Can Keep
This is a great opportunity to start recognizing your naturally “high productivity” times. For instance, I know that I’m the most productive between 10am and 2pm. Of course, I still work during times outside of that schedule, but I know that this is my best time to get the hardest tasks accomplished. I typically work from 10am-6pm-ish Monday through Friday.
I love having my mornings free because I get to work out first and then still have a little time after for some morning meditation to start my day right. This puts me in the best mood for the whole entire day and I feel much more productive on the days that I stick to this schedule.
Create a Morning Routine You LOVE
I absolutely love my morning routine! Creating a morning routine that you love will definitely help you have a better day at “work”. I usually wake up naturally by about 6am. I have no idea why maybe it’s because I love going to bed super early. 🙂 I start every morning with a “fizzy” while I lay in my bed and wake up.
This is when I typically skim my phone for any urgent emails that may have come in overnight that need my attention. Usually, though they can wait for my full attention until after my workout, meditation, and a nourishing green smoothie.
Get Out of Your Pajamas
There’s definitely no need to get fancy to work from home unless you enjoy that, and do it for yourself, but you do need to go ahead and change out of your pajamas. It’s much easier to concentrate when you’re not so super comfortable. Feel free to wear your favorite athleisure outfit and be ultra-cozy, just make sure that you’re not ready to get back in bed.
Start Your Day With a Fun Workout
Even 15-20 minutes of movement will boost your mood for up to 12 hours! To me, that’s an easy trade-off. Working out is one of my favorite natural ways to ways to deal with stress. Do it in the morning or you probably won’t get to it later. At least that’s the case with me. Trust me, you’ll feel so much better after it’s done.
You can easily find free workouts on YouTube to watch at any time of day. I’m actually a fan of using ClassPass digital workouts right now. These are holding me over until I can go to a class again. Working out first thing in the morning gives you more energy to tackle your workday.
Meditate for 5 Minutes
Meditation is so needed during stressful times. Taking a short time to go within before you start the workday will do wonders for your mental sanity.
After my workout and shower, I like to meditate for at least 5 minutes so I can let the ideas flow freely. As a creator, I always need to be creating. This is my time to see what is asking to be created through me. Since I’m only committing to meditating for 5 minutes at a time, it really takes the pressure off of my brain.
Once the timer is set, I’ll sit still with my thoughts for a while and see what naturally comes through. I have several different ways that I meditate these days, depending on what I feel that I need the most at that moment.
Sometimes I need to just clear my head, and sometimes I have a specific goal in mind that I want to fully achieve. If I have a clear goal for my future, then this is when I’ll use creative visualization to envision how my goals can be played out, all within my mind.
When my 5 minutes are up, I’ll assess how I’m feeling. If I’m feeling in the flow, then I’ll keep going and add another 5 minutes until it feels complete. I’ve meditated for up to an hour some days using this exact method. Try it out and let me know how it goes for you!
Journal / Brain Dump
I get lots of ideas when I meditate and I make sure to jot them all down in a journal. Sometimes it’s more of just a brain dump. When times are stressful like right now, our minds can wander easily. Get it all out of your mind so you can focus on being super productive at work.
Have a Nourishing Breakfast
For breakfast, I have a green smoothie every morning to make sure that I get lots of nutrients. This gives me a boost of energy to keep my brain sharp even at the end of the day.
My favorite green smoothie consists of oat milk, green superfoods, protein powder, frozen organic mixed berries & almond butter. I just eyeball the portions and throw it all in because you can’t really mess it up. You can add a banana as an option for extra creaminess. Just put it all together into the blender, mix and enjoy!
Now that you’ve nourished your mind, body, and soul, it’s time to tackle a productive workday!
Have a Clean & Clear Workspace
Try to keep a designated workspace somewhere in your home that you’ll use regularly every day. This space should be near a window if that’s possible. Sunlight keeps you alert and gives you that feel-good energy.
Keep it tidy and clean so that you can stay focused more easily. Don’t keep snacks on your desk, because you’ll end up not taking a lunch break. Do make sure to keep water nearby at all times to stay hydrated.
Prioritize Your Top 5 Work Tasks
As I said earlier, I skim for any urgent emails first thing in the morning so that I know a little bit about what my day will probably look like. This allows me to unplug completely during my workout and meditation. All of this makes me more productive for the workday ahead.
Now that the morning is going, I’ll skim through emails once again and plan out my day starting with the hardest tasks.
Prioritize your top 5 tasks and make sure to do them first! You’re at your peak right now with all the self-care you just did, so you’ll be at your very best for the tough stuff!
Make a List
I love lists; they just work! I usually like to have mine on paper or in the notes on my phone. If you do use your phone though, don’t go crazy. I feel like digital lists can get out of hand pretty easily and become endless.
This is just a list for today, not for the whole week. Focus on what needs to be accomplished just for today, and tomorrow you’ll start fresh.
Time Batching
Another tip for working from home that I love is something called time batching. This is when you batch “like” tasks together in the same time block.
For instance, if I need to write out 5 captions for Instagram, I can set aside 1 hour to do all 5 captions at once. Once you’re in the flow of doing one thing, you start to do it really well.
This makes you more productive and saves you time in the long run. Do this with as many tasks as you can to work at your highest efficiency.
Don’t Forget to Take Small Breaks
When working from home it’s easy to forget that you still need to take a break every now and then. Alternatively, it can also be hard to come back from those breaks.
Taking 15-minute breaks in between long productive spurts can work well at home. I usually like to break after about 2 hours of productive time. I’ll drink some water and walk down to the kitchen for a quick snack or just lay on the couch and play with Rascal for a bit.
Turn Your Phone Over & On Silent
I do a lot of work on my phone because my job includes a lot of social media. But when I need to get a blog post written, like right now, I’ll turn my phone over so I don’t get distracted by all the alerts.
If you’re not working on social media in particular, then try to stay off of these apps except for during lunchtime or your 15-minute break. It’s way too easy, especially now, to get distracted by alerts and lose track of your productive day.
Take a Lunch Break
Don’t keep snacks at your desk and don’t have lunch there. Reserve snacking for break times and step away from your desk to eat lunch.
There are two ways that I decide on when I’ll break for lunch; either when my top 5 tasks are done, or by 2pm, whichever comes first.
I usually start working around 10am each day, so by 2pm I’ve put in about 4 hours of undistracted work. By this time I know I need a break to let my mind recharge and eat some more healthy food.
Get Outside
Lunchtime is the perfect time to get outside when working from home. The fresh air and natural light will perk you back up. Talk a walk if you can to stretch your legs before getting back to it.
Stay Hydrated
I like to keep a large water bottle on my desk at all times, so I don’t have to get up to refill it. If I’m in my workflow and feeling thirsty, it’s already there and full.
Your brain needs plenty of hydration to keep functioning at its highest, and you don’t want to disrupt your time until you’re ready to take a break.
Shut Down on Time
Make sure you commit to shutting down at a certain designated time. My time is usually around 6pm because that’s when I need to start making dinner for my family.
There’s no commute of course, so I can easily head straight to the kitchen and start cooking. I usually shoot to be done with work by 6pm, but if I don’t finish by then, I’ll force myself to step away from my desk at 6:30pm.
After dinner, you can check your email on your phone if you really need to, but it’s honestly best if you try to relax and recharge properly for the next day of work.
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