Key things to observe when working from home

For many people, the answer to “how is working from home going?” is “not too good”. Not surprising. Productivity levels are impeded by constant interruptions from kids and family members. Anxiety levels too, may be on the rise for some people. However, as we all charter these new grounds, let’s not overlook the simple, yet important practices that have decisive impact on the outcome of our work days at home.

Sleep: get in sufficiency

With plenty distractions during the day, it is easy to slip in to a habit of carrying over work to the quiet of the night, foregoing the most important ingredient of the next day’s productivity and long-term wellbeing. It is essential to establish a structure on wake and sleep times. For example, putting a “I need to wake up at 6:00am and go to bed at 10:00pm” sticky note at a visible place is a great way to engrave the message to the subconscious mind and rouse everyday commitment to achieve it. Sufficient sleep is unarguably top of the priority list especially during these stressful times. When it comes to sleep, burning the proverbial candle at both ends is simply detrimental.

Dress: for work

Working from home is tempting to work in pyjamas all day. However, dressing up is a great motivation booster. If you find your working from home days dominated by TV, social media or a disarray of afternoon naps, try starting your day the way you would when having to go to the office. Wake up, dress up and head to the desk.

The day: start with a kick

For most people, beating the morning rush-hour to get to the office was a great kickstart for the day. But now, with everything seemingly happening in slow motion, breaking out of the morning inertia is difficult. Kickstarting your day with a little exercise can go a long way. Be it running around your compound or skipping rope; simply getting your heart pumping a little faster for a few minutes puts your body and spirit at a right state to conquer the day.

Phone - silent and out of sight

Smart phones are on the brink of defeating all human will-power against them. Instead of being controlled, phones control their owners. Break out of this cage. Mute notifications for all applications on the phone, put it on vibration and near, but out of sight during work. Resolve to work in uninterrupted bursts of 25-30 minutes and only touch the phone during breaks.

Food: mind quality and quantity

Boredom and anxiety are proven routes to binge-eating. The physical movement we enjoyed when going to the office, the climbing of countless flights of stairs, are advantages most people live without at the moment. Important to remember is what to do with the now unused calories. Instead of trying and failing against the urge to eat the chocolate or biscuits in the house, or the beer in the fridge, it is better not to stock them at all and choose healthy food varieties. Children are most vulnerable to unhealthy eating during these times. It is incumbent on parents and caregivers to be mindful of what and how much they and their children consume. By starting the day with a healthy, fulfilling meal for instance, the urge to snack throughout the day is kept at bay.

Posture: at any cost, protect your back

Back pains, sore eyes and body aches are typical woes of the modern working population after spending hours between the computer and the chair. Raise the computer screen to be level with eye sight, and sit with back and neck upright. If your neck is bent when working on your computer, your desk needs some adjustment. Chronic back pain is worth avoiding, at any cost.

Finally, eat the frog. The night before, or early in the morning, list down the most important activities for the day - try to keep them to a maximum of six. Whenever possible, start with the biggest or the most important task. Above all however, well-being precedes productivity.

This article was originally published by The Citizen Tanzania