BLOG POST

With the new year also comes a breath of fresh air where we take time to revisit our habits and see areas we can improve. I’m sure I’m not alone in this when I say it took a long time to establish a good working from home routine. I simply didn’t expect it would last longer than a few weeks, let alone ten-plus months. 

Adapting to a change this dramatic takes time, trial and error and resilience. It’s okay to still feel like you’re trying to find your footing; I promise you’re not alone.

Over the next few weeks, I encourage you to take time to reassess the way you approach your work day. Since there’s a good chance we’ll be like this for a while, we might as well get comfortable and make the most out of our days at home. 

Here are three ways to check in with yourself and make sure you’re optimizing this time at home, rather than simply biding your time until you can return to the office.

Find your “flow”
A performance expert recently did an interview with CNBC about how to optimize your “flow” or “optimal state of consciousness” state while working from home. One of the most poignant insights from this interview was giving yourself permission to take breaks. They talked about 90-120 minutes of intense concentration, which has been proven to help increase productivity. After this chunk of time passes, give yourself a brief break to nourish yourself, rest your eyes and do whatever you need to do to feel refreshed throughout the day. You can check out the rest of the insights here.

The end of the day is the end of the day
When you work from home, there’s little separation between “work” and “home” so your work life can quickly bleed into your home life without proper boundaries and time management. Do you find yourself checking emails at 8pm when you’d rather be spending quality time with your family? Give yourself permission to end your day. 

Mornings matter
I’ve learned this the hard way and continue to learn this daily: the way you start your morning matters. As nice as it is to have the luxury of rolling over and logging into work in bed, a solid morning routine will set your day up for success. Give yourself something to look forward to in the morning, whether that’s a book you really enjoy, a passion project or a new coffee creamer you want to try. Big or small, starting your day with something for you and only you is huge. 

2021 may feel a little bit like the second installment of the 2020 horror film sometimes, but silver linings and making the most out of each individual day will help us get to our happy ending.