How To Prepare For A Painless & Stress-Free Return To Work After COVID-19 Quarantine End

1.Physical Preparation

Back in the office days, we were running up the stairs to the meetings from one floor to another.

• BEGINNER. To make sure you don’t get out of breath when you get back, do 100 chair step-ups every morning before breakfast. Imagine you are walking up the escalator to exit the London tube station or walking up the stairs to your office.
• INTERMEDIATE. When this gets easy to 100 step-ups also before your lunchtime (as if you would go outside) and 100 step-ups before dinner times (as you would walk back home).
• ADVANCED. Set an alarm on your phone and do this every two hours from the moment you wake up until you go to bed. Combine this exercise with drinking one glass of water after.

2. Waking Up and Bed Time

Try to align your current waking up time and go to bedtime as close as possible to what it is when you go to the office.

This way your body and mind will remember when it needs to be in its peak performance and when it is time to wind down to fall asleep. Use the extra time in the morning walk in the fresh air (if it is allowed in your area), do morning yoga or another form of exercise, read a book, journal, prepare your to-do-list or anything else that makes you happy.

3. The best part about #officelife

Now in the peak of all your emotions, when you might really be missing the office life (if you are), write down 5-10 things you love about going/being in the office on the nice card. Put that card in your check of drawers next to your bed. Keep it there when going daily to the office feels hard to remind yourself all the positives and how much you like it.

4. #Selfcare Options

After all this time you have spent at home, you might have mastered some relaxing treatments and routines that have made you feel better, inspired, and motivated.

Take pen & paper and write them down dividing them into 3 different sections based on how long they take to do:

• Short (5-15 minutes)
• Medium (15-40 minutes)
• Long (40 min +)

Story these in a noticeable place, for times when you feel tired. And depending on how much free time you have pick one to uplift your spirit. Returning back to the office and commute life can be super overwhelming in the beginning and might require some relaxing rituals in the evening after to wind down. #selfCareAfterCovid19

5. Planning Financial Wins

Open your bank account and compare your spendings one month before #Covid19 and now.

Notice the differences and all those little things you might splurge on and did not even notice.

Calculate the amount and visualize your dream holiday or experience that you really want to do. Then count how many months of savings it will take to do that. You might be positively surprised.

6. #MealPrep for the WIN

Use this time to learn how to prepare healthy meals that you can take to work. Maybe this will help you to save even more towards your dream holiday or experience (you dreamed of in point number 4).

Learn more about:

• Best foods for breakfast
• Best foods for lunch
• Best foods for dinner
• Best snack options
• Best mood-boosting foods
• Best foods before bedtime
• Best foods/spices for fat burning
• Best foods for focus

7. Positive Until The End

To keep yourself positive until the end of quarantine,

sit down with a cup of tea during a break from a screen, and write down all the positives about this time at home. Read this list whenever you feel down until the end of quarantine to bring back the positive spirit.

EXTRA. Write down all pros and cons of quarantine (work from home) and office life.Ask yourself

• Is there anything you would like to change about your office life?
• And how you can achieve that?

8. Preparing for the office Catwalk

Use this time to organize your wardrobe. Put aside all out-of-season clothes. Iron all your shirts. Pair all your socks.

Do a spring clean and get rid of everything you have not worn in the past 365 days! Declutter from old you.

Experiment with some outfit ideas and combinations. You can get plenty of inspiration from Pinterest. Discover new looks you can make from what you have. It is a great opportunity to surprise your colleagues with your new style.

9. Set Up A Challenge and Count How Much

Set a fun challenge until the end of quarantine.

Learn a new word every morning while you drink a coffee. Or sign up for an online course to learn something new. There are plenty of platforms, for example, Coursera or Udemy that also offer free courses and trials. Use your time to better your skill set. The world is hungry for new innovators and improvements.

10. Get Rid Off Habits That Does Not Serve You

Use this time to unlearn some bad habits, for example, continuous stimulation off coffee.

It is so easy to get used to drinking three cups of coffee when you are in the office and have a free coffee machine ready to use. Try to discover some new teas flavors you have not tried before. It will be super easy to then take them with you to the office and enjoy them with your team.

P.S. If you have any other ideas, please comment them below so we can all enrich this list. :)

Thank you.