Self Care Tips for The Successful Work-From-Home Professional
Rianna M. Hill | Rianna@PancakeDigitalSolutions.com
As more and more people are working from home, it is important to have conversations about the new shape of the working world. Some people have been working from home for years, while others have just jumped in. Whichever timelines describe your situation, be sure you are still taking the time to take care of yourself. Here are some self-care tips for the successful work from home professional.
Self Care Basics
Many of these suggestions may seem obvious and hopefully are habits you already have. However, we all could use a reminder from time to time to make sure we are taking care of ourselves in these ways –
- Drink water
- Take breaks
- Get plenty of sleep
- Exercise regularly
- Dress up for work
- Have a dedicated workspace
- Keep home and work separate/ or develop a successful blend
- Eat well
- Go outside
- Keep your workspace clean
- Organize your work priorities
- Make tasks lists and stick to them
- Honor your calendar
While this full list may not be relevant for everyone, these general habits are good for your health. Now more than ever it is important not to let these good habits slack.
Important for Work
Navigating work/life balance when both and suddenly smashed together in one place all at the same time brings a new set of challenges. These three tips can help you work towards successfully managing both.
3. With family members home, set boundaries
This has two parts of setting boundaries to keep key parts of work and life separate. For example, if the office door is closed perhaps this signals you are working on an important project or call. This way your family knows when you need your focus time. With younger kids, perhaps this looks like knowing it is quiet time when you’re on the phone or you can negotiate with your spouse or older kids to alternating caretaking and worktime.
Similarly, consider setting boundaries for work. For example, you may decide that work calls and texts are not allowed at the dinner table. This could also look like not work on work tasks outside of your office, as well as dedicating time to spend just with your family.
2. Task Management and Work Mindset
Trust me, I know how hard it can be to focus when you hear the kids outside playing on a nice day, or you want to join your significant other on the couch for that movie marathon. This is why creating a task management system is the best way to set yourself up for success. Use what motivates you and keeps you organized, particularly what will get you into that work mindset. You know those days where you’re in the workflow and highly productive? Find what helps with that, perhaps a good playlist, or an incentive after you finish a big project. Here are tips to staying disciplined while working from home.
This is a new adjustment, so be kind to yourself as you get there. It is a lot like the first few weeks starting a new job when everything can feel overwhelming and disorienting. You will find your flow soon enough.
3. Have fun and enjoy the benefits too
This work from the home situation does not have to be all business, pretend you’re in the office either. There are many benefits to working from home, and you should feel comfortable balancing yourself to enjoy them. Work better in the early morning? Start those work tasks when you want! Struggle with the late afternoon drags? Take a nap or a walk or use your lunch break to cook something fun you’ve been wanting to try. This is an opportunity to set yourself up to work when you are most productive and enjoy wearing slippers all day if you’d like.
You are an Asset to your Business
At this point, you may be rolling your eyes and thinking you know all this and sounds great, but here is my soapbox. YOU ARE CRITICAL TO YOUR BUSINESS / COMPANY. Whether you are a business owner or an employee, you are an important part of your company and you must take care of yourself. These are Self Care Tips for The Successful Work-From-Home Professional, after all.
What if you didn’t take care of your other assets such as your computer or sewing machine? When the battery was low on your laptop and you didn’t plug it in or your sewing machine ran out of thread but you kept sewing? In both examples above you may still be working, but nothing will be getting done. Check out 5 tips on avoiding burnout when working from home.
Be sure you are taking care of yourself as an asset to your company and to your family.
On The Table…
There are many simple tasks we can do each day to take care of ourselves, and a little reminder is always helpful. Additionally, when navigating a new work from home situation, setting boundaries, planning task management, and having some fun two are key for successful professionals. Most importantly, you are an asset that you must take care of! Drink water, get rest, set priorities, and accomplish important tasks first.
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