Transitioning to remote work isn’t and hasn’t been easy. Especially for some of us who work from home, or work across time zones, it can be quite difficult to establish a routine and habit that helps in ensuring the day goes well.
WFH is not easy!
When you do not have to travel to your office in a car or a bus or a train, but simply next door, you have all this unstructured time that you can use. However, when working from home we are in danger of unusual naps, over snacking, feeling exceptionally lazy, not getting enough work done, sitting in pyjamas all day, missing out on skincare, etc.
I am no exception, having been ‘working’ / ‘studying’ from home since March 2020, the area of productivity, routines, habit building and creating rituals has piqued my interest. I am no expert, but I use this space to share my experiences, which I aim to do more of.
Some tips that worked for me
I started building routines and habits when I was in the lockdown in the UK. All the frenzy of cooking, packing lunch for university, walking to and fro from classes and going for grocery shopping came to a halt and I was confined to a single student room – much like the rest of the world. I realized then that all the unstructured time was actually making me waste more of it. If I could structure my time better, I would use it better.
It was then that I started my online Youtube university classes, and thanks to some amazing creators, I did a hit and trial of what worked and did not work for me. I am still at it, but here’s sharing what has worked for me so far:
- Do not work on the bed: Working on the bed is a disaster. It may seem super comfortable right now, but ten years down the line when your back starts to hurt like crazy, don’t complain of not being warned. Body posture is serious business. Invest in a decent table and chair, but do not work on the bed. Period.
- Pyjamas are for sleeping: For those of you who have started to go back to office, you don’t wear a pyjama right? What worked wonders for my productivity was showing up at my desk everyday as if I was going to office. I put my perfume and changed my clothes because it made my brain wake up to work time. This also helped me with being consistent with my skincare – after years of struggling.
- Don’t start your day with work: I struggled with oversleeping and waking up 5 minutes before my meetings. So I would dash into the loo, brush my teeth, change my T-shirt and log in. I am sure some of us struggle with it, I still do – we all have bad days. But ever since I started waking up early, I have been able to do so much more before I dive into work. For example: Read a book, set my room, chat with my parents etc. Try it, it helps to not feel like a slave to your work.
- Take intentional breaks: I still remember when I was working right after college, I had a small 10 minute walk routine after finishing lunch at office. Water cooler breaks, coffee breaks etc. None of those happen when we work from home, we are glued to our chair/bed. I now set a timer to take breaks to get my mind some fresh air.
- Move: Physical movement is very important, so is looking at nature. The pandemic locked us to our homes but one can still go on walks or to the balcony or out the door – just get some sun on your skin and some off screen time for your eyes. Goes a really long wayyyyyy! Constantly staring at the screen and four walls of your room are killing your creativity!
What next?
Like any of my other blogs, I urge you to try some of the above points, also share some of your tips with me. I would love to read it in the comments section.
Here’s a glimpse of my previous work desk – things I keep beside my laptop: A notebook, a pen, a plant (which sadly died) and a mug of tea/water/something to drink in general.
Feature Photo by Nelly Antoniadou on Unsplash
