Top 5 'Working From Home' tips for keeping routine during lockdown!
If there is one struggle we’re all facing in lockdown, its working from home! Personally, I feel the days began rolling into one and my motivation seriously dropped. Was I sat in bed on my laptop at 11am? Yep! Was my normal routine completely interrupted? You bet it was! Routine is more important than we think. During these crazy COVID times, routine can help us to combat stressful times and emotions we may face.
Did you know: Routine not only improves organisation and focus, but it can significantly enhance our productivity.
Luckily, I’ve had nearly a year to perfect my top tips and tricks that focus on keeping up routine, separating work life and home, staying motivated and even how to create that desired workspace at home!
1.Create a workspace:
One of the most important things when working from home, whether you’re a student or a young professional, is to try to create an area dedicated to work. If you’re like me, separating my work life from my home life became such an issue when I started working remotely. For too long, I found myself sat in bed tapping away at my laptop. My normal work life routine was all over the place. We wouldn’t bring our bed into the office, so why carry out work in bed?
Whether your living at home or in shared accommodation, it can be tricky to find room for a dedicated work space. Even if it means popping a desk in your room, maintaining this separate workspace will help you physically and mentally fall into that work from home routine.
Did you know: Setting up a workspace significantly helps to separate your home and work life. It will not only get you out of bed in the morning, but will help you to focus, minimise distractions, and get you into that work mode.
Creating an ergonomic workspace not only improved my productivity, but also enhanced my motivation to get work done. Check out this article on the essential ergonomic gear for your home workspace.
2.Create a transition from work to home life:
Creating a transition between your work life and your home life, is a sure way to create your 'work from home' routine. Being a college student, I spent roughly 30 minutes commuting to and from college. Such commute gave my mind crucial time to prepare mentally for work. I decided every morning to get up and get ready, as if I was heading to college. One goal I set myself every morning was to get out of my pyjamas!
Did you know: studies have suggested that working in pyjamas is linked to poor mental health.
Don't worry, I'm not saying to dress up in formal clothes as if you were heading into college or the office. Pop on something comfortable and appropriate for day-to-day life. (If the delivery guy saw me in my pyjamas one more time I'd die!)
I started to spend the time usually spent commuting, by disconnecting from technology and easing my mind and body into the work day. Every morning I would read a book, do some meditation, play with my dog, or try some yoga. My favourite books to relax my mind are 'The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse', 'Good Vibes Good Life', and 'You are a Badass'. These three books are fantastic in creating positive vibes and helping to improve mental health struggles, as they are overflowing with inspirational quotes.
These simple activities ensured that I didn’t just roll out of bed and onto my laptop! This is an easy transition from home life into work life, a top tip to separating work life and home life, and keeping up routine.
Check out my 'go to' yoga and meditation YouTube videos I love and highly recommend❤️
Similarly, in the evenings, after a day of work I take my dog for a walk, as my transition from work life to home life. This allows me to physically leave and disconnect from my workspace, but it also provides an opportunity to disconnect mentally. Creating such a transition and building it into your daily routine is essential for motivation as you have an end goal.
3.Take Regular Breaks:
We all know the most important part of our daily routine is our coffee/tea and lunchbreaks right? Then why did I find myself cutting these out when I started working from home?
Working from home can quickly result in cutting these breaks short and falling into the habit of eating at our desks. In order to keep up our routine we must keep taking our scheduled breaks. Luckily I have a Fibit, which buzzes every hour, telling me to get up and move 250 steps to 'win the hour'. This is a great incentive for me to get up and move around and get a quick 5-10 minute break from work. Another simple way to remember to take your breaks is to set yourself a reminder on your phone.
For example: I decided to set a reminder at 11am to take remind me to take 15 mins for a coffee, where I would get up, leave my desk and take a breather! Similarly, come 1 o’clock, I made sure to take my full hour for lunch. I removed myself from my workspace area, to keep with normal routine, and often headed on a lunchtime walk to clear my head.
This hack is so simple and so beneficial as did you know: studies have found that taking breaks reduces and prevents stress, and even helps to maintain performance throughout the day, reducing that ‘burnt out’ feeling in the evening.
4.Stick to normal working hours:
Just because you are working from home does not mean you need to be working all day and all night. Are you crazy? If you want to create a consistent work from home routine, then creating consistent working hours is crucial.
Did you know: Since people began working from home due to COVID19, their working hours have actually increased in comparison to their normal office working hours.
Struggling with motivation because your workday seems endless? If you find yourself working well outside your normal working hours, you need to follow these steps:
- Decide on your work hours at the start of the day.
- Make a work checklist or schedule of what you need to complete. I found referring to work tasks as ‘goals’, gave me that little boost of motivation to get them done.
- Set your goals to small blocks of time and reward yourself with little breaks.
- Give yourself regular breaks.
- Stick to your schedule- Always try to finish up your work at the time you had set that morning. Working remotely doesn’t mean work has to take over your life.
- Remember at the end of the day to log off your laptop and turn off any work or college related devices. I always find it rewarding to stow away all my work equipment at the end of the day as ‘Out of sight, out of mind
My absolute favourite daily planner is 'The Head Plan' Journal! It has helped me in keeping up routine during lockdown and staying motivated.
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products that will keep you inspired, motivated, focused and driven to achieve your goals, whatever they may be." - The Head Plan
5.Stay Connected:
Working from home during COVID has resulted in most of us feeling isolated and alone. Socialising has always been a part of our daily routines, whether we realised it or not. Scheduling daily catch up calls with colleagues and friends not only provides structure to your day, but aids motivation to get tasks, or as I like to call them 'Goals', completed.
Those once busy, chatty coffee breaks, a major part of our routine, are now lonely. The morning chats and laughs with your friends or colleagues, are now non-existent. Or are they? If you’re like me and you love catching up with your friends or colleagues and fear losing those social bonds and relationships, here a few little tips to add to your routine, to keep you connected!
- Remember those coffee breaks you used to take with your friends or
colleagues? I have 3 words for you: ‘Zoom Coffee Break’. Yep, you read that right. Why not organise daily 10 min zoom calls with your coffee buddies, to keep you connected and to help you forget about work for a few minutes. I found this to be a huge motivator to complete work, by rewarding myself with a coffee and a catchup! - When staying connected, one top tip I have it to turn on your camera. I know turning your camera on for group calls can be daunting. We’ve all been there, scrambling to brush the hair, slapping a bit of makeup on, and trying to hide the mess in the room behind you. Fear zoom no more with this ultimate guide to looking fab on those video calls.
Did you know: There are benefits to turning on your camera? It not only helps people in getting to know and remember you better, but it is crucial for non-verbal communication, keeps you connected with your team of friends or colleagues and even improves overall engagement. - On the subject of videocalls, I find opting for catchup calls much more beneficial than sending a boring ole email or text. It takes the formality out of it all, and really gives you the feel of what used to be a normal workplace or college chat! Phone calls or videocalls also allow for an easy flow of dialogue, the ability to add tone to your voice, and hopefully reduce and avoid the possibility of misinterpretation.
So there you have it, my 5 top tips and tricks to add structure to your work from home routine and to give you that ultimate motivation boost. Hopefully these steps will help you too, to separate your work life and home life and get you through working in lockdown! Don't forget, this work from home lifestyle is new for us all and it's perfectly normal to struggle along the way! 
Thank you for reading my 'Top 5 'Working From Home' tips for keeping routine during lockdown'. If you loved these tips as much as I do and have some tricks up your own sleeve why not leave a comment below or share this on Facebook.
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