Your Work-From-Home Survival Guide for Self-Care


Working from home has been out there for a while but hasn’t taken its moment till COVID-19 broke out. Many companies had to lay off some workers, and many others shifted to work from home.

Fortunately, working from home has proven to better staff well-being and save time since there’s no need to commute and fall under pressure. It enables workers to have a better work-life balance, doing their job effectively while still having the time to be with their families. Not to mention that when it’s done right, it increases motivation and productivity because they can perform their tasks without unnecessary interruptions and distractions.

However, working from home can be daunting and tedious when it’s done wrong. Here’s what you need to tackle working from home successfully:

Create a routine

Without a steady schedule, you may find yourself at loose ends, and instead of focusing on tasks and deadlines, you get absorbed into the domestic minutia. So, it’s vital to create an effective work routine that ensures staying productive, meeting deadlines, and kicking goals. To do so, model an office working day at home, concentrating on what works for you as in a regular office day.

A working day usually has a starting and finishing time, so try to get along with that by waking up on time, doing a before-work morning routine, getting coffee, breaking the working day into achievable chunks, and don’t forget breaks. Committing to the repeated daily routine will allow you to stay focused and prepared for unexpected challenges.

Start the day with a morning self-care practice

How you start your day sets the tone for the rest of the day, so make it a positive and energetic start. As much as tempting rolling out from bed onto the laptop, don’t do that. And make sure to cultivate a “morning commute” by setting a morning routine that puts you in a better headspace for the long work hours later.

Get the morning started by setting the alarm, and give yourself a little time, 10-15min when you wake up instead of reaching your phone! Stay hydrated with lemon juice, drink coffee outside, shower, or do your hair. Set your morning rituals, and grant some morning “me time” to power you all day.

Keep your home organized

The biggest challenge in working from home is “being at home”! Family and friends may not fully understand that when you are behind a laptop, you’re actually working, and like in a real working place, no one can get in and ask you what to have for lunch!  

Make sure to put some boundaries between personal life and work, and let everyone know your work schedule. Especially with kids at home, it’s hard getting them out of the working area. When working, use some don’t interrupt visual signs, close the door, and get headphones if the work area doesn’t have one. However, it all goes down to the essential, communication. Get repetitive conversation with the family, and make them aware of what you’re doing-especially if you’re just starting a remote work.

Create a comfortable home office space

In working from home, the laptop is indeed the “office.” However, it would help if you had a dedicated place for work at home. Finding a calm spot where you can be apart from distraction and interruption is crucial for effective work. So, invest some time in finding and preparing a place for work that makes you feel productive and comfortable.

When choosing that place, if possible, avoid the kitchen table or the living room because they are not designed for work and get really noisy. So, choose a place where you can set a permanent work setting and get everything set up, such as a laptop, chargers, proper lighting, pens, and papers.

Don’t forget to make it comfortable in a productive way; sitting on a sofa can be relaxing, but sitting on a chair can do wonders. And at the end of the day, you would walk away from this place with the feeling of accomplishing great work.  

Cut down on your screen time

Spending a lot of time staring at the screen is avoidable when you work from home. These extended hours can really be exhausting, especially for the eyes, and causes visual fatigue. So for resting the eyes, having interval breaks get the blood flooding and regain focus. Try having a session for 30 minutes with 5 minutes breaks intervals between them.

Additionally, in these breaks, get up, walk away from the laptop, refresh your head, and get back energy. When work is over, screen time is over! Avoid using screens outside working hours as far as possible. 

Set healthy boundaries

Setting boundaries isn’t easy as in office work when working from home. The flexible nature of remote working makes it hard to know when you or colleagues are on or off. And “always online” option is not healthy. So setting some boundaries is crucial for increasing productivity and creativity and maintaining a healthier remote work environment.

Identify work boundaries by setting up a daily schedule with clear working hours, time, days off, and breaks. And make sure to make those limits clear for colleagues and managers, communicate with them, and learn to say “no” when they cross them. More importantly, don’t cross them yourself and stick to them.

Start a mindfulness practice

Work is stressful at home or in the office; keeping positive energy is the real challenge to get productive and creative every day. So, to recharge and get enough relaxing doze, adopt a mindfulness practice into your daily routine. Even with a tight daily schedule, there is room for some relaxing exercises. 

Meditation helps in reducing stress, anxiety, and even depression. However, most remote workers don’t have much time. Instead, some practical mindfulness exercises can be easily integrated into daily activities, such as taking a short walk around the house, enjoying a morning beverage, and taking a few minutes to breathe in and out slowly.

Get enough sleep

Rest, you need it! After a long exhausting day, seven to eight hours of sleep is essential. Not having a good night’s sleep will affect your work the next day with low concentration and decreased creativity. Also, it has effects on muscle repair and immune health. Make sure to consider the stress-sleep cycle; they have a tight-knit relationship; insufficient sleep can lead to increased stress and vice versa.

So, to get enough sleep, cut down caffeine, replace screening social media before sleep time with some book reading, and get your bedroom and bed comfy.

Conclusion 

Working from home was a privilege once, but now it’s common and desired because it’s more flexible and safer and increases productivity. Nevertheless, people who work from home should be aware of the stressors they may encounter and eliminate them by building a healthy and effective work routine.

As time passes, more companies will switch partially or entirely to working from home; employees should look at that as an opportunity to better their lives and adapt to this new work model by all productive means. However, it might be hard in the beginning. it’s because we’re not used to working from home and our minds are programmed that work can only be done from offices

Author’s Bio

Isabelle Marinier

Isabelle is an associate editor at EyeBuyDirectOpens in a new tab., an online retailer of affordable and high-quality eyewear. She is a lifelong learner who is always eager to try new things. Isabelle combines her skills and experience to transform lifestyle, fashion, and travel ideals into practical reality and relevant information.

Steve Todd

Steve Todd, founder of Open Sourced Workplace and is a recognized thought leader in workplace strategy and the future of work. With a passion for work from anywhere, Steve has successfully implemented transformative strategies that enhance productivity and employee satisfaction. Through Open Sourced Workplace, he fosters collaboration among HR, facilities management, technology, and real estate professionals, providing valuable insights and resources. As a speaker and contributor to various publications, Steve remains dedicated to staying at the forefront of workplace innovation, helping organizations thrive in today's dynamic work environment.

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