I first began working from home in 2012. As a 23-year-old social media manager for an entertainment website, I began to navigate what quickly became a difficult balancing act of work and home life. I lived alone and worked from home so never recognised the need for an off switch nor had I much encouragement to find one. Not understanding how to manage this correctly, it very quickly became a blurry haze of working on the couch until it was time to go to bed, sleep, repeat. Finding that fine line where work ends and home life begins is tricky but without it, there is a rapid decline in mental health as all sense of routine goes out the window. Back then, I would find myself wandering around the supermarket late in the evening, for longer than I needed to, as it seemed to provide a sort of comforting company which broke up my isolation.
Throughout the years since, I’ve mostly lived alone and worked from home. I’ve been through the extreme lows of depression and anxiety that this isolation can bring. I’ve worked from home in many guises; as self-employed, part of a large multinational and now as part of the wonderful A Lust for Life tribe. I found my feet with creating a solid structure which allowed me to lay the foundation for my mental health to blossom. As I choose a life of remote work, I know the effort I need to put in daily to keep up my mental, emotional and physical health.
Choosing to work from home is a different way of living than most are used to. In the strange time we’re living in, I know how grateful I am to have built the level of routine and resilience I have to keep well. When I tell people I work from home, the most common response I get is “oh you are so lucky you get to work in your pyjamas all day”. This is definitely not best practice and as a result of the aforementioned “work on the couch all day routine” I have learned to set in place strict routines for working from home that lead to a productive, healthy lifestyle.
Many of you have been forced to work from home as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. This may be that you’re a small business who had to close your office or shop doors and work from home, a staff member who had to move to a home office or someone who has lost their job and is now trying to establish a routine to keep busy at home.
I’m writing this article not to be preachy to tell you not to laze about in your pyjamas all day; by all means, we all need those days. Rather, it’s from the experience of crippling lows; feeling so alone, like the loneliness will never end. I must add at this point, I suffer from chronic fatigue and joint pain with an Under-active Thyroid, Haemochromatosis and Fibromyalgia so I truly understand how hard it is to self-motivate on those moments getting out of bed seems too much. I know what it’s like when your biggest achievement that day is having a shower, or the weekly promises to not allow your hair get so knotty as you rip your hair out with the brush. I realise that in a time we’ve all been thrown blindly into the uncertainty that the thoughts of making your bed, showering and eating healthy might seem pointless but it’s the little things I’m about to suggest that will make all the difference.
Routine
First and most important in this is finding a routine that suits your lifestyle. This will help it become a daily habit that sticks, rather than something you stop and start. Waking at 6am to get in some exercise before the day begins might suit some, others prefer to wake a bit later, doing their exercise in the evening. Exercise to some is a slow walk around the neighbourhood, to others, it’s a run or home gym session. Some like to read, some have a podcast playlist, whatever it is; you do you. I won’t tell you what your routine should be set as but I will suggest some things to help.
The best way to start a daily routine is the night before. Some simple things you can do is have your breakfast and lunch ready, so you’re not rushing or eating bad food. Do a tidy up before bed, so you’re coming down to a tidy environment. You could even have your favourite mug ready beside the kettle. These may seem like pointless exercises or something you can do in the morning as when you are stuck at home all day, it can seem like everything can be put off until later. However, the simplest things can begin to pile up until you’re drowning in a sea of dishes and laundry. Keeping your home environment tidy and making things as easy as possible for yourself will go a long way in surviving your time stuck at home.
Being in communication at this time is very important. Bring your phone to bed in case of an emergency but turn your data and WiFi off, resisting the temptation to scroll last thing at night and first thing in the morning. You can combat this by placing it out of arms reach but leaving it on loud should anyone vulnerable in your family need to make contact. Doing this an hour before bed will also mean you have some time to unwind which we all badly need at the moment.
Set your alarm. Even if you don’t ‘need’ to get up at a certain time, set it at the normal time you would wake for work. Keeping a consistent routine close to your regular day is important as we don’t know how long this will go on for. This is so different from a holiday where we allow all normality to fall apart for a set time. Keeping as close to normal as possible will help us mentally survive. It would also be very beneficial to set your alarm a half-hour earlier, taking the time to wake up slowly. It is around about now you can reach for your phone but don’t jump to social media, go straight to the ‘Where is my Mind’ podcast for some positive exercises on meditation and breathing to start your day.
Once it’s time to get up, here are some non-negotiable tasks:
- Make your bed. It will do incredible things for your brain. By making your bed first thing in the morning, you will have started your day by completing the first little goal. It will give you complete satisfaction in seeing it nicely laid out while also give you comfort in knowing that whatever lies ahead in the day, you have a freshly made bed to fall into at night.
- If you really don’t feel like showering, at least wash your face and brush your teeth. It’s easy to fall into a slump when we don’t have to leave the house. Personal hygiene goes out the window as we feel why bother? The reason to do it is for you. You will feel so much better prepared for the day once you’ve showered.
- Get dressed. As I mentioned earlier, we all need a PJ day every now and again but it’s so important not to fall into the bad habit of never getting dressed. You don’t have to go full on office gear but something comfortable that you would be happy to be seen in public in.
- Stand outside. This might be a walk but even standing out into the garden or balcony for some fresh air will help strengthen your mind for the day ahead. It’s another tiny task we can put off as “Ah, I’ll stand outside later” but this simple step can make all the difference. Bonus points if you follow ‘Where is my Mind’ podcast to do some ‘Box Breathing’ meditation outside to help fill those lungs and create calmness in your mind first thing in the morning.
There’s so much science in what setting up a strong morning routine can do for your brain. In an earlier article, we discussed how we can create new neuropathways, literally grow our brain, by creating new habits.
Once that’s all done plus your water, tea, coffee, juice, brekkie all in, it’s time to start your workday. Or if you’re not working, find a task you’ve wanted to work on for some time. Set it up like your working day to keep your routine steady.
Setting up your working space
Having a dedicated workspace will be very beneficial in establishing your on-off switch. This is going to be difficult for someone who is not used to working from home as finding that space might be difficult in a home full of others, or in a small space. If you are fortunate enough to have a spare room or a room that is rarely used, that is your go-to. However, if you’re forced to work in your sitting room, kitchen or even if you’re self-isolating and need to work in your bedroom, it’s important to create a space.
If you are lucky enough to have a whole room, make it office-like. Bring in a table, chair and your laptop. Of course, it’s not completely practical to be able to get your hands on a work desk and chair overnight so you may need to make use with a kitchen chair and something to lean on. What you want to establish here is the environment of “work”. This is where I go in at 9am and shut the door at 5pm. It’s somewhere you can fully focus on your work tasks but have that physical line of a door to close it off and go back to your home life. Having this type of space is the best-case scenario but let’s look at the other options.
Here are the non-negotiable’s in setting up your workspace.
- Do not work from your bed. Your bed is for sleeping, relaxing and some other activities that might be difficult if you’re adhering to a one-meter distance.
- Do not work from your couch. This is a relaxing space for down-time, TV, family time. It is really important to establish boundaries here as if you work from your couch, it will begin to feel like a workspace and you will very quickly find it difficult to relax here. Allow yourself your relaxing space.
- Work close to a window where possible. The natural light will really lift your spirit when stuck at home all day. When you feel overwhelmed, you can easily open the window for some fresh air. Remember the box breathing.
- Create an invisible square around your workspace. It might even be helpful to draw one in chalk on the floor. This will help you visualise stepping in and stepping out of workspace into relaxing home space. It can also be very helpful to tidy away all your work at the end of the working day to be opened again the following morning at your usual start time.
Regular breaks
Taking breaks while working from home can be hard. It’s easy to fall into the trap of working through. This can cause burn-out and ultimately lead to being unproductive. Setting regular breaks as part of your routine will help maintain a work-life balance similar to your regular working day. This can include working from a room other than your kitchen so you have to walk a few steps for your tea break. If you can get out for a walk on your lunch break even better. Do leave your phone at the work desk so you get a real break a few times per day.
When your normal workday is done, call it quits. Just like you would leave your workplace, leave your home workspace. Turn off the laptop, tidy your work things away and give yourself real time to recoup and relax back into home time. This can be done with visualisations as I mentioned earlier of closing the door, stepping out of the space and shutting off. You can again step outside, get in some exercise if you can and look forward to an evening at home doing the things you love to unwind.
Above all else, take social media breaks. We can stay informed by listening to the news and use social media to stay connected but do take a break from the noise, unfollow any accounts that make you feel anxious and follow accounts that spread helpful messages and entertainment.
We’re in this together
All of this might seem obvious but at time of such massive uncertainty, we need to constantly remind ourselves of these things. Once we keep practising them they become a habit until we don’t have to remind ourselves to breathe, we automatically find ourselves taking slow deep breathes when we get overwhelmed. None of this is easy but we will continue to deliver helpful content to you to help you navigate your way.
It can also be extremely hard to work from home when your children are also home. Maintain communication about your work space and time being set for you to do your work. Ask them to use this time to do their own activities or homework while coming together during breaks and after work hours for family activities. As this is not normal circumstances we are in, let your boss know you do have family to look after at home and create an agreement of what work you can get done while managing family life.
This is a completely unusual situation we find ourselves in. As it’s one which may go on for some time, setting ourselves up from the beginning will build our resilience going forward. There are so many benefits to working from home. You can wear your favourite cosy clothes, slippers or cosy socks don’t count in the no PJ rule so you don’t have to wear shoes. Best of all, your commute is completely gone and you gain so many hours back in your day, that’s anywhere between one and four hours or more for some. Much more time for the things you love.
We are here to help you through this. Keep following A Lust for Life, Niall Breslin – Bressie and Dr Eddie Murphy on social media for regular updates on minding your mental health at this time.