Remote work has taken over the world, showing no signs of going away. According to Statista, over 30 percent of Canadians work from home at least some of the time. Although you may have to juggle your job with child care and other tasks, there are many things you can do to increase your productivity while maintaining your sanity as a remote employee. In fact, you can go beyond surviving and really thrive as you work from home. DinoTeoli.com presents the following wellness tips to use when you’re working remotely.
1. Prepare Your Workspace
Working remotely can be a pain when you don't have a dedicated home office. However, even if you have to set up and take down your workstation each day, you can do plenty to create a productive environment. For example, be sure the space you're in is relaxing and has plenty of natural light, if possible. If the energy in your home feels off, it can have a negative impact on you as you work. To correct the situation, try decluttering and organizing your space. Start each day with a clean room, and you will be less distracted while working from home.
2. Calm Your Mind
Prioritize your mental health by checking in with yourself to ensure you have everything you need. Are you well-rested? Have you had some fresh air and sunshine? Have you done what you can to relieve stress, both inside and outside of your job? Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and remind yourself why you do the work you do.
3. Care for Your Body
It is possible to create an ergonomic setup at home, even if you don't have a proper desk. You can also do exercises to prevent or relieve pain from sitting at a computer all day. If you struggle to eat well while working remotely, try doing a bit of meal prep on the weekends so that some of your favorite nutritious foods are on hand when you get hungry. Above all, stay well-hydrated.
4. Plan for Productivity
Plan your tasks ahead of time so you don't spend the beginning of each work period trying to remember what you need to do. Much like measuring your ingredients before starting to cook, setting your duties ahead of time makes your day move much more seamlessly. Prioritize your to-do list by ranking items from most to least important and set a time limit for each item you plan to tackle that day.
5. Take Breaks
It can be tempting to keep going when you're in the flow. It's even easier to push through legally required break times when you're not in the office, but do everything you can to resist that temptation. Your brain actually works better when you take regular breaks to give it a chance to be creative and synthesize ideas. Although frequent pauses throughout the day do wonders, don't forget to take a more extended break in the form of holidays at least once or twice per year to prevent burnout.
Prioritizing your mental and physical health while working remotely takes planning and practice, but it is well worth the effort. Don't try to implement everything on this list all at once. Start with the one thing you think will have the most significant impact, such as preparing your environment or caring for your body, and go from there. You'll be glad you did.
DinoTeoli.com includes the thoughts and insights from retail professional, business enthusiast, and active investor Dino Teoli. Connect with Dino today for more info!