THE MAGAZINE
5 TIPS TO REDUCE STRESS WHEN WORKING FROM HOME
It’s not easy preparing yourself to work from home. The uniqueness of living, working and relaxing in the same space, as well as sharing your home with your loved ones, children and pets, and even your next-door neighbours (or the noise of their TV through the thin wall that separates you) – without mentioning that you often feel tired – it all adds up to make life a little complicated. Here are a few simple tips to help you set up the best possible conditions for working from home.
TIP NO. 1:
GET INTO A ROUTINE
Who doesn’t feel like waking up later now you don’t have to catch a bus or public transport? But it’s a bad idea! Make sure you get into a routine: every day, set your alarm for the same time and pretend like you’re going to work. Get dressed, do your make-up, take care of how you look, put on a shirt, wear a full outfit from head to toe and be at your desk for a set time.
TIP NO. 2:
MOVE AROUND
After staring at your screen in a room that is just for you in the best of cases, or that you share with others if necessary, you’ll probably start feeling a little tense. It’s not good for your concentration, motivation or mind, so it’s definitely not good for your health!
Remember to regularly get up and move around. Perhaps you could walk up and down the stairs in your house or apartment building at your own pace. You could even plan a few short exercise sessions with regular reminders in your calendar.
Remember to regularly get up and move around. Perhaps you could walk up and down the stairs in your house or apartment building at your own pace. You could even plan a few short exercise sessions with regular reminders in your calendar.
TIP NO. 3:
GET ORGANISED
There’s nothing more difficult than trying to concentrate when you’re working at home. There are so many possible distractions: your phone, the postman, your children coming home from school, etc. Set some rules, switch your phone to flight mode and reduce notifications. And make a choice if you are interrupted: either deal with the issue completely or leave it for later. But avoid working in fragments, which can be exhausting, stressful and counter-productive.
TIP NO. 4:
KEEP IN TOUCH WITH OTHERS
Do you feel like you no longer see anyone even though you are connected online all day? It’s ironic, but these interactions remain professional, and now you have lost all the social and personal aspects of work. So, take advantage of lunch hours to stay in touch with your colleagues and talk about something other than work to just re-connect.
TIP NO. 5:
SEPARATE WORK FROM YOUR PERSONAL LIFE
You no longer have that transition time that helps take your mind off work, the commute home or lunch break. So, it’s up to you to replicate it: have your lunch in a different room to the one where you work and stop at a reasonable time to do something else! This will allow you to better immerse yourself in work as well as to unwind at the end of the day.
