Surprise! You’re Working from Home

I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to quickly transition to fully-working-from-home during this era of unexpected COVID-19 weirdness. I have verbalized never wanting to work from home more than “maybe one day a week”. Meanwhile, my roommate loves doing it every day as she has done for years. I even did college sociology research on the stress of living at your workplace, whether serving on housing staff or working from home. However, just like I’ve said for years that I could do vegetarianism but never veganism—and then found out that I am “highly reactive” to both eggs and all dairy—life sometimes turns out very different than you’d expect. 

I mourn the news and am working to keep focused on what I can control as well as regularly sharing positive tidbits and moments with friends. At first glance, almost all of my personal default settings have been thwarted by this quarantine. I am extroverted, almost-never-sitting-still, definitely not a homebody, nearly always searching out and planning the next fun event, and I typically seek out nearly constant stimulation from either interesting media, creative opportunities and/or social interaction. I’ve read more than ten “work from home tips” blogs and wasn’t seeing these, so this is what I've been doing to help with Pandemic-induced working from home!

(Image by DarkWorkX from Pixabay) 

To work from home as well as possible, I incorporate these tips as much as I need to:

1. Start, break up or end the day by walking. Or, do all three! In the absence of commutes, we still need transitions, breaks and movement. The sunshine and bird twitters have been a special treat for me. While, like everyone, I wish this had never happened, I’m particularly thankful that this pandemic didn’t happen in the winter.

2. Switch up between essential oils or use a candle to create “new environments”. Pick different scents to help you celebrate a new day.

3. Plank day! Choose a day to do a plank once an hour. Be sure to use a timer to help you remember. Choose sit ups, wallsits or something else, if you prefer. You’ll be surprised how much it helps move the day along while you squeeze in strength-building resets.

4. When possible, try to combine news catch-up with time that you are answering simple emails.

5. As you can, take advantage of the amazing, free online-learning options. I’ve found worthwhile options through my library online, Instagram, email newsletters, listservs and trials of usually expensive training portals.  

6. Keep water next to you. Either have a tall glass that holds more water (to keep you more hydrated without forgetting) or use a smaller glass that prompts you to get up to refill. 

7. If you have to review longer documents or news emails and it can be done on your phone, use those minutes to pace around a room, hallway or around the block. (Obviously, maintain social distance and wash your hands thoroughly if you have to touch any door handles or buttons.)

8. Incorporate inspirational photos or quotes into your workspace, whether by moving frames over to your new primary spot, updating your desktop, using a colorful sticky note, or writing a dry erase marker quote on your fridge or bathroom mirror. 

9. Invest in blue-light glasses to help protect your eyes from all of the screen time.

10. If you don’t need to be on video, whether during or after work, use the call-in only option on Zoom, or close or otherwise focus your eyes while listening to a Facebook Live or webinar. Give your eyes and brain a break from the useful but weirdly exhausting video call era that we’ve emerged into.

11. Set recurring alarms to shift positions, refocus your eyes every twenty to thirty minutes (extra screen time means more eye strain), roll your shoulders, and/or take belly breaths.

12. Check in with coworkers just to say hello. Remember when we used to all say hello on the way in or in the break room? (I miss that!)

13. Reserve special tea, coffee or treats for when you are struggling and work to truly savor them. I’ve realized that my default was eating too quickly so have been working on chewing well and taking smaller bites to prolong the deliciousness.

14. Without my beloved standing desk options from my recent offices, I was experiencing too-frequent spells of numbness, tingling and backaches. And then, my boyfriend and I made one by stacking a board game box on top of a printer on the kitchen counter. As I finish this blog standing, I can already say that it has made such a difference. If you want to invest in a more legitimate option, I loved having this Vari converter at my last job.

15. Adopt various music themes to spice up the days: Taylor Swift day, retro playlist day, Macklemore day, musical day, Tim McGraw day, Beach Boys day and several (irreverent but weirdly stress-relieving) days of the “COVID-19 Quarantine Party” Spotify playlist. 

16. Appreciate any meeting-free hours or days by joining me for “Face Mask Fridays” or whichever day suits you best.

17. Acknowledge the emotional “penthouse days” and the “dungeon days”. On the dungeon days, take a deep breath, work to reset and try your best to “win in the dark”. (Thanks, Lucas Jadin of TRAIN2BCLUTCH for sharing in the DMV Running Clinic!)

I hope these ideas help you keep things lively and productive for as long as you can during the #quarantinelife. Let me know if you have any additions! Thanks for reading.