Healthy Work From Home
Quarantine Tips
Adapting to a new routine can be difficult especially when it wasn’t voluntarily chosen. Here are some healthy work from home quarantine tips to keep you balanced, centered and productive in this challenging time.
Working from home is hard because you are surrounded by your everyday home responsibilities as well as all your work responsibilities. I’ve worked from home for 14 years and am here to provide you my personal and professional tips to help you adapt to your new surroundings.
Check out these (4) healthy work from home quarantine tips for you:
1.) Create an official work space for yourself
The appeal most find in working from home is the concept that you can be comfortable and cozy in your home environment. That actually creates a bigger challenge! Sitting on your couch and attempting to get work done can result in channel surfing, distraction or being so comfortable you want to take a nap. Creating an official work space at a table is the best way to get your mindset focused on the actual work you have to accomplish.
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You can utilize your kitchen counter, coffee table or a desk space. Keep the area clean and simple. Minimize what you have on the actual desk to make for less distraction. Physical clutter will create mental clutter. If you can assure you’re in a well lit space, near a window that will assist in boosting your mood and keeping you energized for the workday ahead.
2.) Make a ‘to-do’ list the night before
Don’t wait until morning to get focused on the tasks ahead of you! Sitting down the night before and making yourself a to-do list of your work and personal tasks will help you be motivated to get going when you wake up in the morning. I’ve learned that if I don’t make a list the night before, I will feel lost and end up wasting time during the day trying to refocus and center myself. Having no list will easily result in you getting distracted by laundry, cleaning, cooking and whatever household chores you happen to notice while being home. Even though you may still be answering to a ‘boss’ (unlike myself), you are now having to regulate the flow of your day more than ever working remotely.
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Items will most likely be added to your list as the day proceeds. However, having a general idea of what you’d like to tackle that next day will make each day a lot more productive and easier to get through without avoidance or distractions taking over.
3.) Schedule in your breaks
Since nobody is watching over you at home, you have more freedom to tackle your home responsibilities as well as take breaks. At this point in my business, my breaks are rather instinctual but when I first started working from home, it was very easy to sit at the desk all day and work through without even stopping. I’d forget to eat and even pee sometimes. This didn’t turn out healthy so this step is very important!
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You may be in quarantine but that doesn’t mean you can’t pause to workout, have a dance break, call a friend, schedule a FaceTime lunch date with your partner or take the dog on a walk. It’s important you not only get up and move your body (this moves any stuck energy/emotion inside of you) but it’s also crucial for your energy flow and mental health to replenish all that work you do with self-care.
4.) Create a calm atmosphere
Your work environment will impact your mental and emotional state. My entire home is very calming to enter into because I know the importance of that in my line of work. I will play music while writing emails or blogs like this to you but not during client sessions. Find what works for you. Make it your own. Create an atmosphere for yourself that is conducive to a peaceful emotional state.
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A few easy ways to do this right now are to grab some candles and light them in the room or at the desk you’re working at. You can diffuse some essential oils in your work space. I recommend during the daytime any citrus oil to uplift your mood! If you have plants or fresh flowers, you can move them around so they are in the room you’re in. Make a playlist that you won’t get distracted by singing to but will be easy listening as background music if that appeals to you!
Remember that you are not in this alone! If you are wanting daily support, I have special reduced new offerings available for you like my (2) week audio messaging/text support option via Voxer (a free app for Android/iPhone users). You can see all my service options right here.
Read more articles like this: Staying Mentally Healthy During The CoronaVirus