1. Identify your new “spot”.
It is not an easy thing to switch your home into working premises. If you don’t set-up concrete limits and put-in a clear framework, things can easily become difficult for yourself and your well-being. Therefore, it’s very important to stop wandering around your house with your laptop, and working from your couch or your kitchen. Designate yourself a specific working spot and try to stick to this new place by being consistent with your new working habits. Whether you just take a small piece of table or you start using your forgotten desk or spared room, this will help your brain associating this place with work, and similarly disconnecting from it whenever you will be leaving the area.
2. Customise your working space, just like at work!
Decorate your new place with things that make you happy. Add pictures of your travels and your passions, just like you would have done it with your desk at work. And especially, don’t forget to add plants! Plants are indeed recognised for their antistress virtues and they help with work stress as well. Taking care of them or even just gazing at them for a little while can have benefits on your fatigue and stress level according to studies.
So don’t forget to put a plant on your desk and spend some time with it whenever you need to pause!
3. Create your “to-do” list the day before.
Working from home offers more flexibility to do things. But it also requires a strong self-discipline to keep things on track. It will help you to list-out all your tasks prior to your working day in order to maintain an effective work schedule. You will have a clear view at the start of your day.
4. Keep your daily routines and integrate your commute timings
Tempted to grab your laptop as soon as you are out of bed and eager to start checking your e-mails while preparing coffee? Well, be aware that this is not going to help you having a productive day. It’s essential to keep with morning rituals and separate work from other personal moments. Take a shower and get dressed to help yourself disconnecting from your ‘sleeping “mode. Integrate also you previous “commuting” timings into your new programme, and then start your working timeframe fresh and ready-to-focus.
5. Do this “one thing” you had in mind for a long time.
Working without your colleagues can be a great occasion to get more time to do stuff. So why don’t you tackle this one task you have been thinking about for so long? Whether it’s about going through a digital cluster cleaning, finish filling your expanses sheet or even enrolling for this online training you had in mind, this can be a great occasion to spend time with yourself and evolve.
6. Don’t forget to go outside, get some fresh air and exercise!
This is the one advice that you probably won’t stop hearing: move! When working from home, we face higher risks of feeling demotivated and stopping with good habits. Taking breaks to go out for a walk or following online training courses will be extremely helpful to release work stress and stay fit. So, keep up with healthy habits and don’t forget that breaks don’t come by themselves; it’s up to you to make sure they are well integrated in your programme.
7. Music!
Many people enjoy working with their favourite music on headphones. But did you know that music could have different effects on human beings depending on the genre? For example, listening to jazz music could help relaxing and could even have the effect of slowing- down your heart rate. Homeworking can also turn to be another opportunity for you to discover new tunes and to enjoy music freely. Take this chance to make yourself a new playlist and to create the perfect atmosphere.