Hello!
So, I’m sure you’ve been hearing this from many other lovely creators but I thought I’d add in my two bobs worth. I’ve been a part time university student for two years as well as working from home at least two days a week. It took me a few weeks to adjust to being productive at home as well as making sure the lines between home and work didn’t get too blurred.
1. Set up your space. If you know you’ll be spending the foreseeable future working from home, the best way to start is to set up your space. Whether you have a desk, study or just nabbing some of the kitchen table, set it up to have everything on hand that you normally would.
a. Whether you have a dedicated desk, study or just nabbing a chunk of kitchen table, make sure it’s set up to reflect your usual workspace. Laptop and monitors set up, near a power point, stationery on hand, files in the same room.
b. DO NOT WORK FROM BED. Just don’t, ok? It makes it so easy to get distracted and fall into the temptation of Netflix and chill.
c. If you can, keep your phone in a different room or on flight mode. Check it during little breaks! You don’t need notifications every 30 seconds breaking your stride.
2. Get up at your normal time! If you normally have a commute, use that time to start your day with a workout or meditation. Get outside for a walk (if you can whilst still keeping distance from others) to get some fresh air and sunshine, it really helps set me up with a good mood for the day. Especially great if you’re used to being on your feet during the work day and aren’t getting that incidental exercise.
3. Get showered and dressed – think comfy but not too casual! Don’t stay in loungewear or your activewear from your walk, it blurs the line between home and work clothes. I sometimes use my work from home days to trial new outfit pairings or make up looks.
4. Spend ten minutes to establish a list for the day. Whether you’re a coffee or tea drinker, make a cup and sit down to make a list of everything you want to accomplish during the day. My best advice is to make a clear outline and even add deadlines as if I were in the office and had someone asking for it. Bigger, time consuming or difficult tasks are best done early when you’re caffeinated and feeling fresh.
5. Don’t get bogged down in emails. Once you’ve got your list ready to go, triage your emails; answer anything urgent, delegate where possible and leave others to the afternoon. If there’s anything from here that needs to be shuffled into your to do list, do this now.
6. Have clear breaks: morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea. Whatever hours or shift you’re working from home, take any breaks the same way you would in office. Its surprising how much downtime you end up having talking to co-workers, making a cup of coffee or standing at the printer. I’m guilty of eating at my desk, but I try to make the most of the time it takes to make a coffee or tea – having a stretch in the kitchen, going to chat to my boyfriend. Even better, use these times to make yourself an extra mug of turmeric latte or a salad with a range of veggies. There’s seriously no better time to boost your immunity or try out a flavour of tea that’s been sitting on your shelf untouched for months.
There you have it! Just some of my best pointers to help make it through these crazy times whilst still being your best, most productive self. Just a quick note, I understand the privilege of being able to work from home and still get my regular hours done. There are many out there in the retail, service or health care sectors whose income and personal health are at risk. Whilst it’s important we socially distance ourselves as much as possible, some of us aren’t in the position to do that whilst still making a wage. Shelves won’t stock themselves, businesses still have to be run, not to mention the incredible work of anyone putting themselves in harms way to look after others.
We’re all going to get through this together and right now, we can make some decisions to help those in our community who are most at risk.
I plan on keeping any posts across my social media as positive and beauty based as possible; we all need some light right now and I personally need the escape so I don’t let anxiety overcome rationality. At the moment I have family members at great risk, as well as my job security, so I don’t take the situation lightly and understand wholeheartedly why everything feels a little overwhelming. I’m still figuring out how to manage comments on this site but my Instagram DMs are always open – whether you need to talk about the big stuff or want a moisturiser recommendation.
Morgan x