I am fully aware that some of you are now working from home which is new to you – also new to you is the fact that you may be working at home with your partner too!! (and kids)
As someone who has worked from home since 2011 with my husband, I reckon I know a thing or too so wanted to share some tips.
In keeping with my 7 Steps;
CLEAN – It’s important that you have a designated space for working and that it is workable. Hunched over a laptop on the couch or in bed is never going to be productive or good for your posture. Believe me I tried…… Now you may not have the luxury of an office or two offices if two of you are working from home, so you need to be a little creative. Can one of you use the kitchen bench? One of you use the lounge or is there is a little space or nook somewhere in the house? The main thing here is that you have separate spaces. That you have it set up with the right chair etc. You still have to go to work each day and have a space, whether its in a big corporate office or the nook under the stairs. Make it happy and enjoyable. Have a candle in the space, a radio, if like me you like to have some music in the background when you aren’t on calls. NOW….this is very important. I talk about having a clean house in my book and online course, but I want you to make sure you aren’t PROCRASTA – CLEANING!!! Using cleaning as an excuse not to work. Use your weekends to sort the house. If you need to do something daily that is fine but allocate the time – e.g I stop at 4pm to prep dinner and sort anything I need to. This is because its a down time for me and I work really well in the morning.
MONKEY MIND – Now more than ever you may get stuck in your head as you aren’t commuting or having chats around the coffee or water machine at work. No more board room meetings. DOWN TIME galore. So, start journaling and unleashing what’s running through your head. I also suggest setting up calls with people at certain points of the day to keep connection. Maybe have a morning meeting call to get your day started and this gives you something to wake up for. Make sure in the morning you get your mind in the right frame and think of what you are grateful for – I mean really think a bout it and feel it.
FOOD – Just because you now have a cupboard full of pasta and tins doesn’t mean you need to start eating them. Yes you – I know it’s happening 🙂 Keep eating the fresh greens and fruit while you can as you need to stay strong and healthy with a good immune system. Try and stick to eating times and avoid snacking out of boredom. Snacks can be almonds or carrot sticks. Again, you can plan this into your day. Cooking can be something takes your mind off things and you can make it fun with the kids. Playing some music and pouring over cookbooks together can be something the family can do together to pass some time and also educate the children.
EXERCISE – So the local gym is closed, and you can’t get to your Kundalini yoga or F45 session. Thats ok. Take long walks (or a run) in the early morning to get the energy flowing around the body – do you have some weights at home? You can get some fairly cheaply at somewhere like K Mart so that you can keep up with your strength (or use those tins of beans). Or even do a little bootcamp with the family together. Its amazing how you may feel a little low but then exercise truly moves your energy and releases endorphins which can make you feel happier.
BEAUTY – At home it can be so easy to forget ourselves. I mean I always do my morning routine, but I think sometimes I forget to look in the mirror!! The other day I went to the shop and when I came home, I realised I had toothpaste on my arm…. yes my arm and my hair looked like it was a nest. I re checked myself. The reality is, its so refreshing not to have to wear make up or blow dry and curl your hair everyday! However, we also don’t need to go to the other extreme of looking like a zombie. Taking a little time to feel nice and fresh and not be in the crustiest sweatpants can make you feel more energetic and dynamic. You can still be comfortable but just take a little time to FEEL GOOD. Still wear a t shirt and comfortable pants – just change them once in while 🙂
WELLNESS – What a great time to start implementing some wellness everyday. Teach mindfulness to the kids – do some meditation. Why not break up your day so that you have little tasks to do throughout to keep you all healthy, happy and energetic. Make sure your posture is ok at your desk, how are you sleeping? Keep stretching and are you breathing? Have you caught yourself holding your breath?
VISION – So you can’t do much right now but it’s not forever. Let’s face it – isn’t it a bit of a relief? Not having to plan, pack, book travel, run around? When was the last time you had this time to really sit and think about where you want to be, what your values are in life? What makes you happy? As a family you can have some real fun with this. I recommend laying out your vision board in a certain way to cover all aspects of your life- I have a post coming soon on this so check it out. Cut out pictures and create a vision fo how you want life to be together, really dream. BIG. Once you have a vision you will all unconsciously together work towards it. Its a bit like setting a budget at work….
OK So an additional topic here – working with your partner
I laugh when I think of this because I have lost count of how many times I have laughed over the years with situations.
Toilet etiquette – If someone is on a phone call and happens to be near the toilet. No toilet flushing of loud farting…or electric toothbrushes or fans. This can be very distracting.
Phone etiquette – You simply CAN NOT both have phone conversations at the same time in the same room. I mean you think this would be obvious but well it isn’t! You both need dedicated spaces as I discussed earlier.
Boundaries – So you both have a space. Now you can’t just barge into that space and start ranting and raving. Your partner might be in FLOW, creating something magic or they may be stressed in the middle of a really important email. You wouldn’t barge into a colleagues office and just start rambling so be mindful of each other. A knock on the door and maybe asking if now a good time is to talk is a really good idea. We tend to not see each other that much in the day and then can talk properly at dinner at nighttime. Finally, there needs to be a place in the home that is a sanctuary where there is no work done. No phone calls, or emails or complaining.
Webinars/ Conferences – Now this happened to me the other day. I announced I was having a video call and that I was not to be disturbed as people would see my other half. Now he either didn’t quite listen or got confused…. I had my headphones on and the other people were chatting – when I suddenly started talking (I obviously had my loud headphone voice on) my husband thought I was talking to him and starting shouting ‘what? down the hall and then pops up in the office in the background like where’s Wally asking what I wanted. Make sure if it’s important you look your partner in the eye and ask them if they have heard you.
Dress etiquette – As discussed in Beauty you need to feel fresh and energetic. I mean these could be testing times on your relationship as it is if you have never spent this much time together. I’m not saying get dressed up with make-up etc. I am just saying both of you need to make some effort not to look like you just walked off the set of Walking Dead.
Food – Just because you are both now home it’s not each other’s’ jobs to make lunch for each other. Plan the food for the week so you are not constantly asking each other what’s for lunch or dinner.
Final Topic – Planning
I truly believe in setting a schedule for your week in advance. This includes when you wake up, your exercise, food, new wellness activities, your meetings. If you plan it out in sections, it doesn’t take long for the time to be filled and planned. If you don’t do this, you go into the DANGER ZONE of not waking up for something and feeling lazy. Wandering around cleaning and doing washing and doing anything to avoid doing something. Plan and kick-off as you go, and you will feel a sense of achievement!
Good Luck everyone xxx
