HOW TO… WORK FROM YOUR CHILDHOOD HOME THIS SUMMER
Although some aspects of our “normal lives” are opening back up, many of us are still located in our homes for Summer 2020:COVID-19 Edition. For me, that means I am back in my childhood home (AKA, my childhood bedroom where I thought I was talented enough for art school).
I wasn’t and still… am not.
I was expecting this summer to be commuting into the city, doing an internship, and spending the majority of my week days sitting in traffic and working in an office environment. Instead, I’m signing on from my bedroom, the kitchen, our recliner by the window, and in any other corner of our house I can be productive in.
Here are some things I’ve learned that have helped me work from home this summer!
Take off any uncomfortable photos or memories from walls.
At the beginning of quarantine, my walls were filled with old memories from high school and my older artwork that I did not really resonate with. I would get really distracted by them and resent my working space. Once I slowly peeled off the wall decorations that distracted me, I became a lot more productive and less distracted by my old self.
I felt cringy constantly looking at old artwork I had done, hung, and displayed the same day. I took the pieces down that made me shudder (accidently ripping out plaster… sorry mom) and kept the ones that still felt me.
I was too lazy to 360° redecorate, which is what I saw so many people telling me to do on the internet(which is also a lot of money to reinvest into a room I was unaware of how long I’d be working from!), so I found my happy medium. Switching out a few things can make a huge difference and be a lot more cost effective.
Find the time of the day where you do your best work and commit to it.
I’m a morning person and I do my best work early in the a.m.. I’ve found that when I naturally wake-up it happens to be around 6:45 a.m. to 7:30 a.m., so the minute I step out of bed I start the coffee maker and wiggle around to my desk. Starting my work day earlier helps me be the most productive since I usually become a lot less productive once it hits 11:00 a.m. or so. This is when I schedule all my calls or check off the majority of my to-dolist.
By making my work and to-do’s my morning priority, it allows me to be a lot less stressed for the remainder of the day while also feeling as though I did “something.” The remainder of my day I do some more self care-esque to-do’s like go for my daily walk, maybe swim and get some vitamin D or read our Back Pocket book of the month.
Boxing off different parts of my day gives me the freedom to put my best effort into both aspects of my life: work and myself. I luckily have more freelance and make my own hours work, which gives me the freedom to do this, but for those who don’t I suggest finding the times you usually burn out and giving yourself longer breaks during those times to reboot!
Taking breaks is vital to your health and also your workflow.
Like I have mentioned before, taking 10-15 minute breaks to move your legs, stretch, and relieve your eyes from a screen is so important. I have bluelight glasses, but have found my eyes have been so strained since my work has become 100% screen based.
Although many believe they’re a placebo, I try to use blue light screen protectors or blue light glasses while I’m on my computer.I’ve felt as though my eyes are less strained by the end of the day and I can continue my Youtube viewing late into the night.
If you are able to safely go outside, get some sunlight, or sit in another room away from your computer, TV, or phone, I suggest taking advantage of it for 10 minutes every other hour.
Time limits help sustain a home environment.
Putting a “timer” on your work day helped me make sure my home life still felt important. Although my hours are more self-made, making my work day last between the hours 8:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. helped me establish when was work time and when was time for myself. Although these are rough hours and I don’t work for a traditional 9-5 space (even before quarantine) the same actions can be fulfilled.
Having an alarm go off when your work day is officially over helps the physical space and time be cut off. Pick a favorite song and have it go off at your selected time to help you transition into home life!
Any form of change can take some time to get used to, but hopefully these tips can help you transition your #wfh routine into the hotter months.
