Chrissy's blog: Working from home

The odd day working from home can feel like a treat, but working from home for a prolonged period of time can be surprisingly challenging. ‘Working from home fatigue’ has become something many are experiencing for a range of reasons, which may include putting in longer hours to prove productivity while working from home, or because many are trying to manage their working day working around children and family needs.

As part of my job, I would normally spend most of my week working from home and here are some of the things that I’ve found helpful when working from home long term.

1. If you’re able to, keep to your normal working pattern as much as possible so that you can “finish” work and relax in your home. If that’s not possible e.g. you have little ones and you’re having to work around their schedule, try to make sure that you save some time to unwind and do something for yourself.

2. Use the time you would usually spend commuting to do something you enjoy.

3. If you know that you are easily distracted by jobs to do in the house, try as much as possible to get these done before you start work. I will quite often use my breaks to pop a wash on or to fill the dishwasher while I’m waiting for the kettle to boil.

4. Do something to signal the start and end of your work day. It could be a walk around the block, cleaning your desk, meditating, making yourself a hot drink or even lighting a scented candle. A routine can help to set a boundary between work and home time.

5. Schedule your lunch break and if you can, plan what you’ll have for lunch. I find if I don’t do this, I end up constantly in and out of the kitchen or thinking about what to eat.

6. If possible, try to keep an area of your home specifically for work. At the end of the day make sure to pack away your things out of view or close the door on this area if you can so that you can try and forget about work.

7. Avoid working in your bedroom if you can help it. Working in the room that you sleep in can make it really difficult to relax. If you have no choice but to work in your bedroom, try opening a window once you have finished your work to help change the energy of the room and make sure to tidy away your work things once you’ve finished.

8. Make the most of video calls with your team (if you have one!). Not only is it nice to have some human interaction, but video calls can also provide that extra bit of motivation to change out of your pajamas!

I hope these tips are useful and I’d love to hear if you have any tips on how to successfully work from home.

Thank you for reading!

Chrissy works as a senior healthcare policy manager in London and mainly works remotely from her home in North Wales that she shares with her supportive husband and her fabulous 2- year- old daughter.

Tags:
• Wellbeing