I think its about time I touch on this subject, one I personally thought i would never be talking about; working from home. As some of you may or may not know I have 2 jobs, one is Beauty Therapy at 'The Beauty Cove' and the other a Marketing PPC executive for a well known advertising company and right now, beauty treatments have paused and I have found myself (along with many of you, i'm sure) working from home for the foreseeable.
I wanted to share a few of my tips and tricks from the past 4 weeks as I feel lkike I am really finding my feet with I feel like I am really finding my feet with it and personally feel like it suits me but I have my moments of motivational slumps and working from home comes with its challenges... not moving much, working around family/partner, eating everything in the cupboard and lack of social life. So with that I have put together some tips I have learnt over the past 4 weeks to help anyone who may be struggling with WFH life, I do not have children, admittedly this will be easier for me than others but I have written this with many circumstances in mind, you just need to find what works for you.
I also want to say thank you to all the key workers out there, supporting us right now and caring for us. I do not mean to offend with this Blog post but you may be able to take some tips on how to motivate yourself during days off whilst your family may be working from home.
Morning
Lets start with the Morning, I set my alarm early still... not 6am anymore but 7am. I wake, get a coffee and mentally plan for the day. I am currently spending this time in bed, relaxing whilst waking up, maybe watching some youtube with my OH. Once or twice a week I dedicate my mornings to a workout, but this is with my partner (Sean) as i really struggle being the only one getting out of bed! Just a half hour blast to really make me feel great for the day but my advice is to get up a while before your due to start work to not feel rushed and prep for the day.
Get dressed! I find I am more productive when I'm dressed, when I have a little make up on and not feeling like a slob! I start every morning with a quick shower, dressed, some make up.. just the basics more day! and put some jewellery in. This way if i catch myself in the mirror i'm not horrified! It also makes me feel like I have my sh*t together more.
Top Tip: Make your bed - I read once that people who make their bed are more likely to be successful. Enough said, make your bed!
Have a station of work away from distractions, that is not as easy for everyone but me and my OH (both working from home) have made a conscious effort to work from different rooms and reconvene at Lunch times or when one of us makes a coffee! Set up a lovely looking work station, near some natural light and feel proud of where you work, even if its a small touch like having a picture of your friends in a frame or some pretty stationary.
Lunch Time
Time for lunch? I only get half hour so I prefer to have a quick, small effort meal like a salad or pop a Jacket potato in the oven so its ready to eat so that the remainder of my lunch break I can spend catching up with friends/family on facetime or sit in the garden for some much needed Vitamin D. I sometimes use my lunch breaks to learn a tiktok dance to keep active and entertained, do whatever you feel you need, whether it's some time out or time to move, there is no right or wrong!
Breaks & Throughout Your Day
During your working day, make sure to get up every so often and drink lots of water.. which will help you get up for the loo! Our hips will suffer if we don't move, I try to move when my fitbit reminds me too (i recommend one of these!) but there are plenty of challenges online to get your moving regularly. Alternatively give yourself a 10 min morning break to move about and stretch and a 10 min afternoon break. If you are lucky enough to have a toilet up and downstairs then make a conscious effort to use the toilet on the other floor... getting your steps up without realising!
I often have the Radio on for a little background noise and chat during the day, if you are feeling particularly lonely this is a good idea, radio chat is not designed for you to need to concentrate, (like an audio book) but will help you feel a little like you have colleagues chatting around you, and music can lift your mood without you realising it so when I feel a little low I will always pop on Radio 1 for some company & a giggle.
Home Time
At the end of the working day, me and Sean both make an effort to ensure we are wrapped up and laptops off at 5pm (where possible). Often we use the time between 5-6 as our free time to exercise, go for a walk etc and this is usually separate to enjoy some alone time but do whatever feels good for you and whatever works for your family. I see that hour as the hour I was often driving home from work so I use that as the 'dream hour' what I really wanted to be doing (other than sitting in a pub garden!) On a Friday, we often use this day to crack open a bottle of wine or pour a G&T and sit in the garden to celebrate end of the week and really separate the working week from the weekend.
I hope you have found this useful, my main tip is to try and create a bright space to work in, near a window and find what works for you and your living situation, trial and error will be the key but perhaps track your happy and down days and work out what you did differently. Working with a partner or family members can be hard, give eachother space where possible and respect their roles... for me Sean is often on the phone so i have to stay quiet and for him, he finds I have bursts of stress so has to know not to ask me questions when i'm getting agitated and leave me to it. Stay moving, have fun where you can, and find a common interest that your and your partner, or family can share together, whether thats the AM, lunch or after work as you are probably spending a lot of time together at the moment! Me and Sean find ourselves either enjoying the garden, doing a tiktok dance or binge watching a tv show to enjoy together.
Top Secret Tip - I have heard people say they make up an imaginary office worker and blame him/her on things someone else in your household has or hasn't done.... we tend to use accents. This way we bring humour into the house, whilst bossing the other about but because its funny, we can't get angry!
I hope you are all coping ok with WFH. I am personally really enjoying it and if you do feel you want more tips on how to cope or motivate yourself or you have any to share please comment below.
Andrea
xx