How is working from home (all the time!) working for you right now? Although lockdown is easing, many of us are still predominantly working from home. This can be challenging and cause us to have times when we feel overwhelmed, distracted, demotivated, isolated or stressed.
With so much uncertainty there is a lot that we can’t control. However, there is scope for control over how we are working when we are at home. This can help us to feel more positive, connected, motivated and calm. Here are some ideas for adapting your routine when working from home to support your resilience.
Start by reviewing your existing home working routine:
When we ‘go’ to work, we have to get dressed, complete some kind of commute and interact with others. Colleagues stop for lunch and the office empties at the end of the day. These indicators remind us to move around, connect with others, eat and contain our working hours. When we work from home, we need to set up our own indicators, boundaries and routines.
Reflect on your current typical day starting from when you wake up and ending when you go to sleep. Consider what you do before and after you start work, the number of hours you work and the breaks (if any) that you take.
- What do you notice about your working day?
- What is working for you and what isn’t?
- How do you separate work and life?
Aim for your resilient work from home routine to comprise of:
- Work: Choose the hours you will work and focus on work during that time (try to limit the multitasking!). Give yourself a clear structure and goals. Include regular breaks and have periods of the day where you actively stop work. For example, limit phone screen time to avoid checking your email in the evening or put your laptop away in a cupboard for a break over lunch.
- Movement: Make a form of exercise part of your every day routine. Choose something that’s fun for you such as lunchtime yoga, a morning walk or dancing to your favourite song while the kettle boils. Remember to stretch or at least move about every twenty minutes or so to avoid aches and pains that come from hunching over a laptop.
- Rest: Prioritise device free time to relax. Do what works for you. You could stare into space, sit in the sunshine, nap or just reflect and think. Remind yourself that this is vital, not an optional luxury, and no human can work sustainably without resting. When we are rested, we have more energy, can make better decisions and work more efficiently.
- Connect: You may be having lots of work related meetings. Make time each day to connect with people who are important to you such as family and friends. Or do an activity that refreshes you – play a game, play the guitar, bake bread, knit a scarf, go to the park.
Ask yourself:
- What is already really positive about my home working routine?
- What one small thing will I change to make my home working routine support my resilience?
Do let me know what you come up with.
For more ideas on how we can support our resilience while working from home, take a look at this post on how we can create a resilient workspace at home.
Interested in feeling energised and inspired? Sign up to join a Resilience Coaching Walk. Wander locally, wherever you are, while connecting with Anise and a small, friendly group via Zoom.
If you’d like to think more about how you can feel less stressed and more confident, get in touch with Anise to find out about how Resilience Coaching could work for you.