How to build healthy habits while working from home

Working remotely can quickly become a rigid routine that tends to block us from doing entertaining activities. Our ordinary work day looks something like this: wake up 10 minutes before our working hours start, brush our teeth, make some coffee, open our laptops, and work. And, to be honest, this type of work day has been repeating itself in my life for months. . . until I said enough is enough.?

As a morning person, I always enjoyed waking up before the rest of my family, so I can enjoy my cute little morning routine without being bothered by the noise of others. This all changed once I started working remotely… I suddenly felt no need to wake up earlier, find a fancy outfit, do my hair or other similar things that made me look and feel good throughout the day.?

As my days started to get quite dull and boring, I knew I had started to miss my old cheerful morning self. It was time to stop wasting my morning time scrolling through my social media, watching 50 TikToks or checking my Jiira account as soon as I opened my eyes.

I decided to start reading this book called “Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics: A 10% Happier How-To Book” by Dan Harris. At first, I was so dissociated from the book, my mind was wandering and I couldn’t focus. It was just too early in the morning.?

But, as I started reading more, I decided to download their app as well, and the next thing I knew, I had read 10 pages, and meditated for 10 minutes. My day went so smoothly after that. No matter how much work I had to do, or how many tasks I was assigned, I remained calm,? grounded, and I experienced no anxiety for the first time in a long time. I focused instead on “one breath at a time”, or in my case “one task a time”. And this is when I cracked the code of productivity and a 10% happier work-day.

Another habit I added to my 7-9 am routine is 10-15 minutes of learning a new language. I can’t say I don’t feel at least 20% better after I learn something completely new, solely for my personal reasons, NOT because I’m assigned to do it.

Habits can be built easily when you choose the right anchor. Don’t let your work ethic mess with your daily routine. Find a balance. Start your new habit journey. Bit, by bit.

Author: Donika Berishaj