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We are living through strange times at the moment. With the Covid-19 virus spreading around the world, the vast majority of us will be staying indoors for the next few weeks. It is clear that now more than ever before, the importance of focusing on our shared humanity and community is integral and at Les 100 Ciels, we are committed to continue to engage and support you, our community.
With this in mind, from today we will start a blog series titled Life Indoors. Each week we will be writing blogposts to inspire you as you carry on your life from indoors, with topics ranging from how to tackle boredom, to home study, self care and ideas on meals with limited ingredients.
In today’s post, we’re looking at an issue which will affect a large proportion of us: how to work from home.
If you are feeling demotivated and anxious about how you can continue to work from home, we’ve got a range of tips on how you can tackle this. We hope these tools will help you maintain your productivity and perhaps welcome new skills and creativity.
If you have the space, set aside a designated area to work from home. This works two-fold to get you into the frame of mind to come into the space and tune your mind to work. It will also mean you have an area where you can spread out, take work calls with privacy and hopefully not have as many distractions from children.
Schedule in video or phone calls with your colleagues to discuss work matters through tools such as Skype or Zoom. Although many topics are easy to be discussed by email, sometimes having a friendly call with your colleagues is just the thing to help feel really engaged and connected to your work life. The interaction will also do wonders to boost morale and keep you motivated to complete work projects.
Struggling to feel motivated? Why not try a Productivity tool such as the Pomodoro technique. This technique is based on setting a timer to do 25 minute stints of work called a Pomodoro followed by a 5 minute break. After completing four pomodoros, you take a longer break of 15-30 minutes. The idea is based on working for short stretches of time that are much easier to commit to especially in a home environment where you lose a lot of your normal structure to your day. We recommend the Flora app that follows the Pomodoro technique but rewards you with a virtual garden as you successfully complete blocks of concentration.
Take regular breaks for exercise- it is very important for your physical and mental well being. There are thousands of exercise routines to follow on YouTube ranging from relaxing yoga sessions to heart racing HITT activities. Whatever your preference, there is sure to be something for all tastes.
Get some fresh air. Yes you may not be able to leave the house, but perhaps you can stroll around your garden or at the very least, open a window, stick your head out and take slow, deep breaths of fresh air. It really helps with resetting your mood and brain if you are feeling a bit sleepy or restless.
Make use of that commute time. We’ve all wished at one point or another that we had a few extra hours in the day as we rush to get off to work. Re-purpose that commuting time for creating a relaxing ritual to mark the hours before and after your start work from home. Perhaps you could use it to write in a journal or meditate. It is an excellent way to separate periods of work from leisure and try to have more balance at home. You could also use the time for things you wish you had more time to do, for example a DIY project or reading.
A note on working from home with kids. For many stuck indoors, the biggest challenge will be how to juggle childcare and home study with the demands of work.. There is enough to cover on this topic alone for an entire blog post, but here’s our top tips to making this work taking into consideration that all situations are a little different. First things first, give yourself a break. This is an adjustment for everyone and it won’t all fall into place from day one. Be ready to amend your plan and be flexible with yourself and your family until you find a rhythm that works for your particular family circumstances. Secondly, try to find a routine that suita your family. Children respond well to having structure, so organise your day into chunks of time where you can work while they have screen time or do a physical play activity when they are most full of energy. Lastly, be upfront with colleagues about the struggles you are facing at home with juggling the kids with work. Being real and honest, instead of trying to create an air of having it all under control will gain you more understanding and support and make life easier all around.
How are you handling working from home? Perhaps you love it and are thinking of making it a permanent change. Or maybe you can’t bear it. We’d love to hear how you are doing and what are some of your tips to working from home?
