For over a year now, the COVID-19 pandemic has upended all our regular routines. For millions of us, the daily routine was to wake up, scramble to get ready with little concern for breakfast and morning rituals, before embarking on a journey through traffic and pollution to reach our offices in time and begin the workday. Thanks to the frequent lockdowns and the travel restrictions enforced in the interest of public health, we have to find new ways to not only get all our work done from home, but we have also had to address the challenges brought on in terms of enforcing a healthy work-life balance.
What are a few things you could be doing in order to make sure that you maximise the time spent working from home, while maintaining your sanity amidst what is one of the most difficult times we have faced as a species?
1. Have a designated workspace
Whether you’re in the office or at home, having a desk set up that works for you is the key.
Set up an area at home that’s a dedicated space for work. This will not only help you stay in the right frame of mind but will also create a clearer separation between your work and home life.
Creating boundaries will make it easier for you to switch off from work and ‘leave the office’ at the end of the day.
2. Plan to be flexible
It’s important to stick to your usual productivity times. Working from home could allow you to reschedule your day according to the times when you feel you are at your productive best. Depending on your work hours, see if you can find some flexibility to move your schedule around.
If you’re used to working with certain environmental factors in the office, it’s up to you to recreate that as closely as possible while working from home.
For example, if you’re used to working with background noise or a certain type of music, you may want to create a playlist you can work to or listen to white noise.
3. Remember to take a break
All the ‘distractions’ at work may have helped you focus better and stick to your deadlines and contrary to popular belief, working from home might actually make it difficult to take a break.
When working from home, plan a series of breaks into your day and select activities that you truly enjoy and wouldn’t have been able to do while in the office, like spending time with your pets! We can’t stress how important it is for you to not have lunch at your desk. If you can, a midday change of scenery and stretch of the legs at lunchtime could do wonders for your afternoon happiness levels.
Be sure to set a fixed time to log work as well and turn off any work-related notifications outside these hours.
4. Stay fit
Drink lots of water, eat healthy, home-cooked food and make time for exercise. There are many exercises, meditation and fitness routines that you can follow from the comfort of your home. If you have pets, make sure you spend time with them and take them out for walks when it is safe to do so. This is very important if you have any children at home too, as exercise helps children stay focused and keeps them occupied. Most importantly, only consume relevant news and don’t get too bogged down by the negativity surrounding everyone. Make plenty of time to virtually socialise with friends and family because mental fitness is priceless in these times.
5. Embrace the benefits of remote working
The perks of working at home rather than in an office are undeniable.
There are the things that make your work-life balance more manageable: you may find it easier to fit in an exercise break in the middle of the day, you won’t need to spend your evenings doing the washing, and you can cook your own lunch at home.
And then there are the wins for your productivity: with zero distractions (so long as you’re home alone) no one can pester you with questions or drag you into mini-meetings at your desk. And you don’t waste precious time, money, and emissions on a long morning and afternoon commute.
Always keep in mind that the right attitude will help you go a long way!
