Starting your day off right – The WFH edition
If you live on planet earth and have been paying attention to the news lately, you, like me and a lot of fortunate people were able to work from home during COVID-19. Even as we are back at level 1 at the time of writing this in New Zealand, the borders as still closed and many other countries are still in heightened states of pandemic plan operations.
So if you are one of those lucky ones who are able to work remotely how do we get through this together as the new normal way of working? And how do we continue to be the high achieving humans that we are, when some days we can’t even manage to get out of our jammies in the morning? One word has helped me.
Routine.
One of our many strengths as the human race is our ability to adapt to our environments no matter what obstacles the universe throws our way. While working from home is nothing different for a lot of us, it is very much a new way of working for many, many people. How do we adapt to this new way of working quickly so that we are able to continue to perform our daily roles in our personal and professional lives?
Routine.
I find it important to maintain a routine each day so that you are in a position to react and adapt to the changes that your day job may throw your way. I’ll share some of the daily routines that have helped me maintain a positive mental state of mind in a disruptive every changing world:
#1 – Make your bed – this is probably one of those tasks that most people do automatically but it is worth noting. I have always been a strong believer that a neat living space clears the mind for more creative and productive thoughts. I think the first time I heard this reiterated was on the Tim Ferris Show.
#2 – Meditate– Something that I find works incredibly well to reset and refresh the mind each day is the practice of mindful meditation. I know what you are thinking – ‘I don’t have time for that’. I would say the same thing about brushing my teeth or washing my hair if it wasn’t a necessity for good personal hygiene. Who doesn’t love smelling and looking great? The benefits I have found from mindful meditation far outweigh the 15 minutes I would gain back in my day from not doing it. And that’s really all it takes for me. Just 15 minutes a day. A really great app if you are interested in starting mindful mediation is Headspace. There is a really great series from headspace called Take10, Take15 and Take20 which will get you started.
#3 – Get dressed in semi formal work attire – It is so easy to just stay in your jammies the whole day when working from home. Or even not to wear pants at all for some,haha. In order to not get caught up in the blurring of Monday into ‘what day is it again?’ I find it useful for both motivation and keeping a high work ethic to dress in semi formal attire to put me in the right mindset for work.
#4 – Eat the same meal each morning – What helps me to keep my mind focused on what I need to get done for that day is by automating the simple stuff. I will explain more of this concept in bullet point #6 but I am a firm believer of sticking to routine for small tasks that should not require a lot of cognitive thought for that energy(thought) could be used on more creative problem solving. So I eat the same /or near the same thing every morning for breakfast.
#5 – Set up your working area in a place where you can at least get some natural light. – Sunlight and natural light makes a big difference in my mood on a daily basis. Setting up my working area to at least get some natural light during the day. Even on a wet Welly day, the natural light through the cloud cover is often better than just purely artificial lighting for my mood.
#6 – Stick to your schedule – Automate the repetitive stuff. I found it greatly beneficial to stick to a schedule and routine during the work week, by planning my week well in advance with lunch meals and prepping these on a Sunday for the week ahead. Placing items in the same place in your household so that each morning I don’t have to consciously think about these little choices we make everyday, like “where did I put my laundry again?” “Where are my house keys?” These things may sound simple but I was surprised by how much mental energy this saved me to focus on the bigger questions and challenges we have to deal with on a daily basis in our roles.
#7 – Exercise – This is an absolute game changer for me. Apart from all the health benefits and exercise being a good way to manage stress(As we all experience stress), it also allows me to focus more clearly on work items as it forces me to step away from a challenge and do something physical. Regular exercise also allows me to stick to a routine, allowing me to timebox my daily tasks around my health and fitness regime.
Whether you are working from home or just trying to have a little more structure in your daily routine to manage what is in your control, these 7 items have helped me to maintain progress. 👍👍
Good luck on your journey!