Work-From-Home Tips

Work-from-home tips are easy to come by as someone who's been at it for the last decade. I have a few tricks up my sleeve on how to be productive without losing your mind!

Here are my top 5 work-from-home tips:

 1. EXERCISE OR GET DRESSED (ideally first thing).

If you can, get a workout in first thing, maybe just after your coffee. I tend to exercise fasted after coffee only, then I'll either eat or shower then eat.

If you aren't going to exercise first thing, I recommend taking a shower and getting dressed. Don't worry, yoga pants count! I'm simply suggesting you get out of your pajamas & into a fresh (ish?) set of new clothes each morning. If you're going to be on Zoom calls, a quick freshening up will go a long way to looking professional.

2. MOVE LOCATION THROUGHOUT THE DAY.

Typically I start my day in my office, venture out to our kitchen island by midday, and then finish up on the couch in our living room. I find that by moving location it gives my brain a chance to reset, keeps my body from conforming to one position for too long, and I'm able to be more productive as a whole.

Chances are, if you're not used to working from home, your ergonomics aren't amazing in your newly fashioned “office” set-up. Moving around your living space can help you feel less achy throughout the day. I also recommend trying to set up a standing work station if possible – often a kitchen counter height works for this!

3. GET SOME FRESH AIR.

Open your windows, go for a walk (maintaining social distance from others!), or spend some time in your garden if you have one – the fresh air will help you feel human and you'll be able to focus better when you return.

4. EAT REAL MEALS & SIT DOWN WHILE EATING.

When working-from-home it's easy to snack your way through the day. Suddenly dinnertime arrives and you haven't prepared anything. If you need meals on-hand, of course I recommend grabbing some Balanced Bites Meals, or grab one of my cookbooks from your shelf and at least prep some protein ahead of time. It's easy to throw a salad together if you've got protein on-hand and ready!

5. SET AN END TIME.

This is a tough one for me personally, but it's important to set boundaries like this for your own mental space. When work and home life become one in the same it's easy to work nonstop without taking any time for yourself or family. So, decide on a stop time each day and stick to it, just as if you were in an office and leaving for the day. For me, having a punctuated moment when Jeopardy! is going to begin helps a lot! I grew up watching while eating dinner with my dad, and it's a tradition we carry on now, most evenings.

Most of all, give yourself grace – these are unprecedented times and you don't need to be doing ALL THE THINGS. You don't need to be learning a foreign language, writing a book, launching a product (unless you want to like me, ha!), or have a fitness transformation. Also, I shared some stress management tips last week – be sure to take a look if you missed the post.

And be sure to focus on the good.

Here’s my *something good* that’s coming from this time: it’s forcing me to S L O W D O W N.

I feel like I’m catching my breath a little bit with the inability to choose to *do* many things. In the meantime, my laundry is all done, I’m spending more time working out with my husband in our garage gym, and we are getting through more of our freezer and pantry items.

I KNOW many people are struggling through this, but even if you’re struggling, I imagine there’s one bright spot for you. Let’s take a moment to identify it here, and share it below. I think everyone would love to read what folks are finding that’s good right now.