Okay, so working from home even if it's just 1 day out the week feels nice, right? You can maybe go to sleep a little later because you have no real commute to work, no traffic to worry about, and flexibility on when you have to be "online". Waking up late or not setting a time to wake up can turn into a mess as you work from home more and more.
To fix this, set an alarm for at least 1hr. before when you have to online. I usually do 2-3 hours prior and it's helped me but it took at least a year to get to the point where I dragged myself out of bed early on a workday.
Why? Waking up early, even if it's 1hr. before walking over to your desk is a clear and healthy way to start your morning. It provides your brain with the downtime to clear your morning responsibilities, take a walk, or even sit down and journal or plan out your day. And the biggest pro here is that you're not going to be in a rush as you check-in to work.
Your body and mind will be relaxed and calm as you enter your workday and begin to crush it. What's your favorite morning routine?
I've talked about this in a previous post regarding isolation. Right now with COVID-19 this is even more amplified because so many folks who have never worked from home are doing so and more will be in the same situation in the coming weeks. Imagine going from an in-office environment where you're used to people walking around, making eye contact, smiling, or walking to grab lunch together being stripped from you overnight. It's hard.
So, now you're home and thinking, "I feel kind of alone". I want you to know that's normal.
To help with this, there are a few intentional things you can do. During that 1hr. before work, hop into your calendar and block out 15 min, 30 mins, or maybe 1hr. You can title it, "Maria - break". When the clock hits time, stop what you're doing and step away from your desk, call a friend, take a walk, or heat leftovers from last night.
Maybe that all sounds like a great idea, but you don't have time to plan it or you'd love to talk to other remote workers over lunch or coffee? Try out Cafecito. Cafecito matches you with like-minded remote workers locally or virtually for coffee/lunch breaks or a social happy hour. This is a great resource for you or anyone who's looking for that human interaction during their workday.
“Balance is not something you find, it’s something you create” — Jana Kingsford
It's easy to keep working. I've struggled with it before because I can just stay sitting at my desk and logged into work. It even ended up cutting into my personal life because it was so simple to just do 1 more task for work or answer that 1 last email.
Truth is, it can wait till tomorrow.
Protecting your time is something you have control over. When the clock hits whatever "end of the day" looks like for you, log off. Hit away. Quit Slack. Turn Do Not Disturb so that you do not receive any work notifications. If it's urgent, you'll be texted or called.
Will you commit to this?
Thank you for reading! I'd love to hear what your habits are that help you run your day more productively. And if you haven't taken a look at Cafecito yet, peek at it here.