How to boost your wellbeing whilst working from home
As a coach and business owner I get to work from wherever; I have a favourite coffee shop, there’s a hotel lounge I’m rather partial to for meetings and I share a home office with my husband. I’ve always enjoyed the fact that I can coach and work from wherever I like. Now, with COVID-19 and the need to stay at home, I realise how lucky I was to be able to have that flexibility. I love working at home but the novelty wears off when you have to do it for a prolonged period of time and can’t have that trip to the favourite coffee shop for an almond croissant and extra shot Americano!
How to boost your wellbeing whilst working from home
For many of us who are now self isolating, social distancing and having to work at home whilst we get through this pandemic - this is a new thing, something you’re not so used to and it can be difficult. There’s no division between home and work, often the days are blurring into one and the weekends - well without being able to go out anywhere and enjoy “normal life” it can all become just a little overwhelming.
I wanted to share with you four tips for how to boost your wellbeing whilst working from home. It’s important for your own self care, your mental health and your wellness to make time to adjust to this temporary new way of living and working. I hope you find these tips helpful.
Check in with people
Are you missing the daily “hello” or “good morning” that you usually get as you walk through the office? Why not have that first meeting of the day as a google hangout, zoom call or WhatsApp video session with your colleagues where you share ten minutes of your day to talk about how your evening was, what you watched on TV, catch up over coffee or have that “water cooler moment” virtually.
I know a lot of people who are doing this because they miss the office interaction of their colleagues. It’s not having a business meeting, with an agenda or covering off a task - this is simply bringing into your day the social interaction you would normally have in an office. Perhaps this is a great way to start and/or end the day? Who can you do this with and can you set it up to start tomorrow?
Have you thought about your desk set up?
It’s hard to make yourself work at home sometimes.. the novelty will wear off eventually - so make sure that your working environment is the best that you can have it. Think about your set up - is it at a desk in an office space, is it at the kitchen table or is it on the sofa? This is somewhere you will spend a lot of time, think about your seat, your posture, your environment and what you need to be efficient, effective and happy.
Also think about having healthy snacks at your desk, having a whole bottle of water where you can track how much are you consuming every day. Having a plant near you that's giving off oxygen, making sure that your working environment looks good, feels good. Can you see out of a window or are you just staring at a wall? Getting up and stretching your legs is super important, whether that's going to the kitchen to make a cup of tea/coffee or grab a glass of water or having a walk whilst making phone calls. Try not to be sat at your desk/kitchen table/on the sofa *delete as appropriate* for too long.
Remember to take a break
It can be so easy to work from the moment you get up to the moment you realise you need to eat some dinner. However, it is so important to make sure that you take regular breaks throughout the day. Give the day some structure. Don’t start working on emails from your bed. Have a schedule similar to if you were going to the office - get up, dressed, ready for the day. Give yourself regular breaks and get outside if you are allowed to where you are. It’s important to give your mind a break, change the situation and the set up. By setting your timing for the day - start, breaks, lunch, end of the day; this will give you the division between work and home without the commute.
End the day strong
A good way to find more balance is to have a way to switch off from the day. One key way to close the day is by writing out what was the success that day - what went well and what didn't go so well. This is a great way to clear it out of your mind. Write it all down on a piece of paper. Then you can either keep that piece of paper for the next day or screw it up, chuck it in the bin, and then you've cleared out to your mind. By doing this you can go home without having the day running through your mind, it allows you to go home not mulling things over, not taking your work home with you.
Ending the day strong means you can also start the next day afresh and give yourself the division of work time from home life. Write your to-do list for the next day so that you know where you're starting and that you can be clear on what you're doing. Understand what you want to achieve for the next day. Set yourself some goals and targets. Then at the end of each day, you can see how did you do on your goals and targets. This helps to give some structure to your day.
Once you’ve logged off for the day and moved away from your desk area, allow yourself some time to unwind. If you have a job that involves using technology a lot at work, when you finish for the day try and have at least two hours of no technology, ideally the whole evening.
Build your own good nighttime routine. What do you need? Is it having a bath before bed with some lavender, and relaxing music? Is it doing some meditation? It could just be watching TV. If that is what helps you unwind, but I recommend not watching TV immediately before bed. You need at least half an hour, if not an hour, to just have some time to yourself. No technology, helping yourself to get the best night's sleep you can.
If you need further help in boosting your wellbeing - be sure to sign up to my fortnightly Self Care Survival Kit newsletter. Hitting mailboxes globally, every other Friday - bringing you a dose of Self Care inspiration with two easy to apply tips, a mantra or a reading recommendation from our book club - sign up to receive it for free here.
