6 Top Tips for Working from Home.
Get up & shower & dressed as you would on a normal day
While it might be tempting to roll out of bed and logon to your computer in your pyjamas, spending a little time getting ready in the morning can help you to feel more awake and start your day more productively. Of course it’s absolutely fine to then put your pyjamas back on, after all who can tell as long as your face looks presentable for those video calls!
2. Put your commute to good use
Switching to working from home might have gained you hours of your day back that would usually be spent in a car or on public transport commuting.
What are you going to do with all that extra time?!
Think about what extra you really need or want in your day - maybe it’s an extra half hour of sleep in the morning, maybe it’s more family time, maybe that is when you can squeeze a quick workout in or even when you can start learning a new skill. Whatever it is, make sure you’re making the most of that time and appreciating those precious extra minutes (even if it’s just spent in bed)!
3. Work in a different room
One of the great advantages of working from home is that you could literally just work from your bed if you choose to, but realistically how productive are you going to be? What is your posture going to be like sitting in bed or even on a sofa all day (cue sore backs and shoulders)? In terms of productivity but also looking after your mental health, it can be useful to have a separate room or space in the house where you can work. This will help you to dissociate your bed or living room with work and switch your brain off at the end of the day.
4. Take a break without your phone
It is all too easy to spend your breaks throughout the day scrolling, but when you’ve spent a large part of the day staring at your computer screen, is more time looking at a screen really what you need? If you enjoy a bit of social media, why not schedule in some designated scrolling time in your day and set yourself a time limit on your phone so that you don’t overindulge.
5. Make your breaks more active
Working from home can mean that your activity levels take a serious drop - even just missing out on those steps walking from your car to the office can have an impact on your day. I bet it’s not as far from your home desk to the kettle as it is at your normal workplace?! With this in mind, why not make your lunch breaks more active? Get out for a short walk while it’s still light, try a quick class (we have lunchtime classes running every day through lockdown - check out the timetable here) or even just have a wander in your garden at lunch.
Other ways to get your step count up when working from home could be:
Running up and down the stairs while you’re waiting for the kettle to boil
Walking around the house while taking calls (not recommended if you’re on a video call!)
Squatting while you’re brushing your teeth
6. Switch off at the end of day - don’t just flop onto sofa!
Again without that commute it can be really tempting to shut your laptop and flop straight onto the sofa when you’re down for the day. Instead, why not try creating yourself a wind down routine for when you finish work - maybe close your computer down, turn off any work related notifications on your phone for the evening, spend some time with your partner, family or pets, go for a walk or do a quick Yoga sequence and cook something tasty.
If your usual evening routine involves an hour or more in front of the TV, now could be a great time to cultivate some new evening habits. Why not pick up a book or magazine? Get those board games or pack of cards out of the cupboard? Why not try some arts and crafts - homemade Christmas cards and gifts will mean a lot to family and friends this year.