Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, many of us are now working from home. Even if you’ve worked remotely for a day or two before, the sudden swap to home office for an unknown period amount of time, can be a little unnerving.
We’ve pulled together our top 5 tips for helping you stay calm, motivated and achieving during this time of isolation, to ensure you’re looking after both your mental and physical well being.
1. Break up your home life from your work life
Whether it’s eating breakfast outside or by the window, try and start your day away from your PC screen – just as you would if you were going into the office. Although it’s tempting to just loll around in your pajamas all day, it’s important to get dressed to help you get into the work mindset and ready for the tasks ahead. Similarly when you’ve finished work, try and move away from your desk for a while or go for a walk to create some physical separation in your work/home transition.
2. A ‘desk away from desk’
For many of us, it’ll be difficult to find space in our homes to work remotely. However it’s really important to try, even if your dedicated workspace is just a corner in a room. Although it might feel good for the first few days working from your bed, soon your work will be creeping into every area of your home and you’ll find it hard to switch off and relax. A dedicated desk space stops this from happening.
If possible, try and choose a workspace with as much natural light as possible and invest in a comfy chair. When the time comes to switch off your PC, try not to give into temptation to return to check on emails after hours or at weekends.
3. Use tech to keep in touch with your colleagues
From WhatsApp Business to Zoom and Google Hangouts, there’s plenty of apps set up to help you keep connected with your co-workers remotely. Working in isolation can soon take its toll on your mental health, especially if you live alone, so it’s important to pick up the phone to talk things through and communicate away from the screen.
From group video chats to client conference calls, there’s many ways to keep in touch with others when face-to-face is unavailable. We’ve even had a few remote creative brainstorms at Rawww, finding new ways to get together to share inspiring ideas.
4. Stay calm and stream (not scream)
When stuck inside, it’s comforting to know you’re not the only one. Thanks to social media, we’re all able to share our experiences and encouragements with each other across the globe.
The various platforms are proving to be a worldwide support network, spreading positive stories and building communities online. From watching the Spanish balcony buskers to the senior hungry hippos, social media is cheering up people’s moods and helping us to actually stay social.
We’ve also recently discovered the new world of live animal streaming from closed zoos across the world to help you stay close to nature. In particular we recommend the Jelly Cam from Monterey Bay Aquarium, their hypnotic movements will help de-stress you in no time. Plus Google Earth has also launched virtual tours of 31 national parks in the USA to allow you to visually escape away from your desk.
5. Make time for exercise
Without your morning commute it’s likely you’ll soon start to feel a little cooped up walking from bed or desk everyday. Now spring has arrived in the UK bringing lovely sunshine with it, going for a walk in your lunch break to soak up some fresh air can also help clear your head. Just make sure you’re going alone or with others in your household.
There’s also plenty of exercise apps to try in the comfort of your own home to get you up and moving. Some are even offering special isolation deals – like the Downward Dog app, who are offering free classes until April 1st.
In unprecedented times it’s important we’re all looking out for each other, from the safety of our own homes. If you’ve found a really useful tip for working from home, let us know on Twitter.
