For many, working from home has always felt like a dream scenario. The thought of working in your pajamas, getting your own coffee in the room next to you, not worrying about anyone stealing any of your food in the fridge?
As many of you are being forced to work remotely due to COVID-19, or maybe you’ve always worked at home, there are some key things that you should do during the day to stay healthy and thrive.
- Get comfortable in your new space
Many people will tell you that you need a true, dedicated home office with an expansive desk and multiple computer monitors; but that’s simply not true.
You simply need to create comfortable, dedicated space. This might be a small desk in the corner of your living room, counter space at your kitchen island, or in my case, a converted dining room. I figure with “social distancing”, my formal dining room will NOT get any use; so why not convert it now. The long table is perfect for my 50” monitor, and sub-woofer speakers.
Finally, try to get enough natural light as possible. And, weather permitting, open some windows. Fresh air is very good for you!
- Stay Hydrated and Get Up and Sanitize
In in order to prevent mild dehydration, which can be difficult because it’s easy to become absorbed in the work and forget about everything else, don’t put a glass, cup or container of water on your desk. Yep, you heard me.
Instead, set a timer on your phone for every hour. As soon as the alarm goes off, get up, walk to the Kitchen, and get yourself a cold glass of filtered, spring water – 8 oz if you can.
This way, you will get circulation plus hydration!
And while you’re there, wash your hands with soap and water; don’t just use hand sanitizer – as some of them have synthetic elements and alcohol which will dry out your hands if used too much. Plus, recent studies from Cleveland Clinic, have suggested that children never use hand sanitizer with alcohol.
My suggestion? Get a toxic free, healthy hand sanitizer from Healthy Place – leaders in healthy, toxic free, essential oils and other healthy immunity-building products. They are already partnering with some of the biggest corporations in the world – airlines, shipping companies, restaurants, Whole Foods, etc. to provide a healthy way to get rid of germs and microbes.
So, do what they are doing! Make your place…wherever it is …a HEALTHY PLACE!
- Have good hygiene, get dressed, and be comfortable.
Studies have shown for years that people who get “dressed up” in business attire, function better, at a higher level, while at the office. This is also true for “workers at home”.
No, you don’t have to wear business casual (unless you want to). But you should at least get out of your sleeping attire. If you need to do a video meeting with anyone, you’ll want to look presentable. So, men, put on a dress shirt and remember to shave; women, put some make-up on and style your hair. Trust me, you will feel more confident, and be much more productive, if you do.
No video meeting? Then just get comfortable – yoga pants, gym shorts, loose-fitting clothing. After all, one of the biggest perks of working from home is being comfortable, so take advantage of it.
- Make sure you exercise at some point during the day
Many people typically get up in the wee hours of the morning, before work so they can go to the gym; others like to sleep as late as possible and spend a limited amount of time getting ready for their day.
Working from can change your entire timeline…but it doesn’t need to.
Still get up at that same time and do your workout in the morning. Or, if you like afternoon breaks, take 30 minutes then. If you love to work out at night, do that.
Now, you may not be able to go to your gym, but there are many things you can do at home to work out with or without Gym Equipment.
Ever heard of Charles Atlas and Isometrics workouts? Isometric exercises are long, slow hold contractions of a particular muscle or group of muscles. During isometric exercises, the muscle doesn’t noticeably change length and the affected joint doesn’t move. Isometric exercises help maintain strength. They can also build strength, but not effectively.
Isometric exercises may be helpful to you if you have an injury, arthritis, or other conditions which could be aggravated by using muscles to move a joint through the full range of motion.
Studies have shown that isometric exercises may also help lower your blood pressure. However, if you have high blood pressure, exercise at a lower level of intensity. Exercising at a higher level of intensity can cause a dramatic increase in your blood pressure during the activity.
So, get moving…slowly…. and concentrate! You’ll see a difference.
And for extra immunity building and recovery, think about using a diffuser in the room you are working and working out, and use peppermint essential oil and lavender to relax and restore! Got to Healthyplacebotanicals.com for more immunity-boosting products and tips!
- Stay connected and Have the right technology
There are SOOOO many tools for remote project management; Microsoft Teams, Slack, Zoom, Google Hangouts, What’s App, Trello, etc. If your team doesn’t use telecommuting tools already, suggest setting some of these channels to help everyone stay connected.
Oh yeah, there is also this thing called the phone. It’s not just for texting as millennial and Generation Z’ers think it’s for. You can actually call, or video chat, and yes, even use social apps to stay connected.
You might also suggest holding daily or weekly morning video huddles; since you’re not physically sitting with your teammates, it’s important to still get face-to-face time. A morning or weekly video check-in will help ensure everyone’s on the same page and staying productive.
And remember, it’s important to have reliable technology, and a back-up plan if needed. Say your internet goes down. You need to be able to use your phone as a hot spot to connect your laptop if necessary.
Or, if your wireless is too slow, and you can’t afford to upgrade, you can use an Ethernet cable (a what???). Yes, a cable to connect your computer to your modem. You might actually realize this is the fastest connection you’ve ever had
In closing, make sure you do one more thing while working from home.
Don’t work too many hours and miss the beautiful time you can easily ‘fit’ in with your family and children. Read a book to them; do an arts and craft; play video games; challenge them to “Just Dance” on the Wii.
If you’re taking a break, set up a “Do Not Disturb” setting on slack; or update your outlook with an auto-responder. Take it from me; working from home is a huge lifestyle adjustment. It might not be as easy as you thought. That’s why it’s important to set up some simple daily guidelines in the beginning to establish a new routine and figure out what works best for you. Then, continue to make adjustments as you see what works best.
Remember, the key to working from home is to fine-tune the right balance between “work” and “home”. I hope these suggestions work well for you!
Stay healthy and well!
