If you follow us on social media @wahworkforce you may have seen our recent work at home survival guide post. And after posting I felt obligated to elaborate on the 6 points covered,
1. Have a routine and stick to it,
2. Have a designated working space,
3. Take time for self care,
4. Get ready for your day, everyday,
5. Don’t forget food & water, and finally
6. Take a few minutes to stretch.
Have a routine.
Having a routine that compliments your day to day life will positively affect your mental health. Alleviating anxiety by incorporating things you do almost every day (if not everyday for you stay at home parents, I know they all run together whether it is Tuesday or Saturday)! Include getting yourself prepared for the day, a load of laundry, or a quick housekeeping routine; the goal is to have the tasks that you want to be done mapped out for completion. This will keep your brain clearer of what needs to be done and just know when it will be done.
Have a designated working space.
Or spaces? Really you can work all over your house depending on what you do for a living. However for the highest productivity and comfort, you could greatly benefit from having a designated space to work at. For me this looks like my kitchen table most of the time with my MacBook, planner, and phone so I can multitask and work while watching my toddler chase the dogs around all day. Don’t get me wrong, I have a desk I could work at but in this stage, it just typically isn’t ideal. Knowing where your work typically happens is important, because it is key to keep your workspace clean and organized to your liking. After all, you do work at home!
Take time for self care.
This can look different for everybody, and no taking a shower because you smell bad and should get clean doesn’t count! Self care is anything you do with purpose to make yourself happy/better. Don’t get me wrong, a shower can definitely count as self care, as long as the right mentality of doing something for yourself is behind it. Throw in a hydrating face mask or a hair conditioning treatment, those are some of my personal favorites and you can even find recipes to make some your own home. It can also look like taking your dog to the dog park every Wednesday for your weekly pack meeting. The great thing about self care is how universal it is and how broad its definition can be.
Get ready for your day, everyday.
No, you don’t have to shave or do a full face of hair and makeup. But for me this includes: putting on a fresh change of clothes, brushing hair/teeth, simple skincare routine – like 3 simple steps, and coffee! Sure a lot of things may happen between all those, but within 20-30 minutes I am guaranteed to feel better than I would have if I did none of those things. Keep in mind, just like all above this is 1000% changeable person to person. Do the few things that make you feel ready for the day.
Don’t forget food and water.
Now to be completely honest, this is the hardest one for me. I will get so caught up in my schedule for work + the toddler’s schedule and keeping her safe from her daily ventures, sometimes I’ll look at the clock and it’s time to pick the other kids from school (roughly 2pm for you nonparents) and I haven’t ate but just the scraps from my kiddos food. Not healthy at all! Have some yummy and healthy-ish snacks in stock and don’t forget to drink your water! If you have a headache or you’re tired or just feel bleh, go drink some water!! To figure out how much you should drink in a day, divide your body weight in half – this is how many ounces of pure water you should consume daily.
Take a few minutes to stretch.
Since working at home, have you noticed an increase in neck, shoulder, or back pain? Those are the 3 most common pain areas for individuals who work on a computer, much less if they haven’t taken ergonomics into consideration. Here to the right you can find some stretches you can do to help alleviate some pain you are experiencing. And there is no affiliation with this lady, but this is a wonderful set of stretches to help any strain you get from working at your computer all day.
If any of these help you benefit more from your work at home life, please let us know in the comments. We love hearing your feedback!
