With more of us working from home than ever before, it’s shocking how much those work-life boundaries have blurred. Whether you’re struggling to juggle everything or are finding it tough to focus, there are things you can do to help yourself work better and feel better while you’re working from home.
Set Up Your Workspace
Having a structured space to work that is all set up properly is essential if you want to differentiate your work and home life. Whether you have a home office, or you’re working from the kitchen table, it’s essential that you have everything you need to hand while working, and that you put it away once work has finished for the day so home can be home again. If you have a home office, you could mark the day as done by closing the door, while putting your laptop away for the day might work best if you’re working elsewhere in the house.
Take Regular Breaks
Watercooler conversation might be a struggle when you only have the dog to talk to, but it doesn’t mean you can’t take a break to chat to a friend or neighbour for a short while. Factor in breaks for yourself to make a cup of tea, stand up and move around and you’re sure to return to your desk refreshed and ready to get back to it. If you can’t trust yourself to time your breaks well, then perhaps set yourself a timer to remind you when to break and when to get back to it.
Factor in breaks to make yourself a cup of tea
Stop For Lunch
We know it’s tempting if you’re on flexitime to forget your lunch hour and grab a sandwich at your desk, but then you’re not concentrating on work or your food as you should do. Mindful eating is essential to ensuring you get that ‘full and satisfied’ feel after lunch. If you’re distraction eating, you won’t feel the benefit of a nutritious lunch, which may make it too easy to reach for the biscuit barrel mid-afternoon.
Go For A Walk
After you’ve eaten lunch, if there’s time left in your allotted lunch time, then why not take a quick walk. Even 10 minutes of gentle walking outside can boost vitamin D and give you the headspace you need to solve a problem you may be facing at work.
Keep Hydrated
Many of us fail to drink enough water to stay properly hydrated and even with the kitchen tap within reach, many of us fail to keep up with our water intake even when we’re at home. Investing in a tracker bottle is a great and eco-friendly way to make sure you have enough water to keep your brain and body working at its optimal levels.
End Your Day With Something You Love
Before you get back into the housework, meal prep or other tasks you have to do, take a few minutes for relaxation and to decompress after your working day. Whether you opt for a 10-minute meditation, write a letter to a friend about what’s happened at work, listen to a song you love on the radio, or read a couple of chapters of that book you’ve been meaning to get to, take a deep breath and some time to fully relax and you’re sure to finish your working day on a high.
