My company announced that we will be working remotely for the rest of the year and when we are back in the office it will be a hybrid approach. As things are becoming more obvious we have to reflect on this time of working from home. Remote work, just like any other style of work has its limitations and its negatives. A couple of the main struggles are setting clear boundaries of when you are done for the day and how to maintain your sanity when you are not leaving the house every day. While I am not a mental health professional I have some tips that I found helped me through this year and a half of remote working. Here are some my work from home tips:
Change your Clothes
Before you start work change your clothes. You don’t have to full fledged shower, do your hair and make, and wear a work outfit just change your clothes. It could be changing from your pajamas to a clean lounge set or to a comfy tee and leggings. This tricks your mind into “hey we are starting the day and we are no longer sleeping”.
Avoid Working from your Bed or Couch
Do your best to create a work from home space if you haven’t already. When you work from the bed or couch aside from the obvious temptations of going back to sleep you are also stressing your lower back and tightening your hips and lower back.
Take a Break
Factor into your schedule a break. Whether it is a stretch break, going outside for a quick walk, or just walk around your home. Just wiggle your body a little. Recently, my husband and I signed up for the gym and we have been trying to go to the gym everyday or every other day and we don’t do anything strenuous we just move our bodies around and see other humans.
Schedule Exercise
This goes hand in hand with the tip above but if you schedule in exercise you are more bound to do it. For us, when we exercise after work it’s like a mental trigger of “hey I am done working for the day” and after that we unwind.
Make Lists
At the end of the day to to have a list of things that you have to do the next day. Meetings, phone calls, projects, etc. when you have this list ready you know exactly what you are walking into the next day, which is extremely helpful to tame your stress.
Have a Clear STOP Time
Setting this clear stop time is important. This is your time to start separating work and home. No more responding to emails or doing anything else. That time might change day to day depending on the work load, you have to accommodate but make sure to have boundaries because that is YOUR time not the companies time.
I am definitely no work from home expert nor a mental health expert, but there are somethings that I have picked up over the course of this work from home environment that I felt compelled to share. I definitely enjoy working from home as an introvert but I do believe we are missing somethings when we work from home. In the office, we learn things from our colleagues this is especially true when we are new a role. We can understand what is happening around the company, and many other important things. Socially, we talk to more people which is important for humans to do even if you are introvert like myself. Anyway, let me know if you have some work from home tips that you have found useful during these times.
Having a clear stop time is so important, just because you work from home and for yourself does not mean that people can buy your soul!
This made me miss my work from home last year! Great tips and all are so imp for productivity and balance
I needed this reminder today. You legit reminded me to put on normal clothes for the day. Sometimes I just roll out of bed and start working. So thank you!
So true. I’ve been working from home for over 8 years and can relate to your article. The stop time is especially important to respect.