@sams_adventures_x shares her tips on how to stay focused and energised while working from home, with a daily breakdown and how she manages slumps throughout the day...
Before my job switched to working from home I rarely made it into the office on time, I struggle to get up and lacked energy in the morning. I much prefer working from home, however there are some downsides, and the biggest one for me has been lack of motivation and energy.
I used to love days when I got to work at home, it felt like a luxury to be sat in comfort and basically have a day off. But since being forced to do so, the novelty quickly worn off and I found it tough to get into a routine and actually get work done.
Now a whole year on since working from home for me, I’ve finally got myself into a rhythm and routine that helps me keep motivated and feel energised from morning to night, so below I’ve shared some tips to on how to stay focused each day.
1. Wake up and focus on well-being
To say I’m not a morning person would be an understament, so I like to wake up slowly sat in bed with a coffee while I listen to a podcast, a chilled playlist on Spotify or reading a book and some days I will fit start the day with a guided meditation or Yoga. I try not to use my phone during this time and instead use this first hour of my day to do something unrelated to work and focus on my well-being.
Tip: try starting your day with well-being focused activity such as; meditation, yoga or reading.
2. Take 10 minutes to organise your day
My working day starts at 8.30am, however with remote working it’s a lot more flexible now, so I chose to log on around 8am and take an extra break during the day. The first 30 minutes to an hour I will check my emails, reply to anything urgent, update my to do list and set myself one one priority task to focus on for the day.
3. Start your day with a balanced breakfast
Once my emails are done and priority for the day has been set, I’ll then take a 15 minute break to eat breakfast and fuel up for the day ahead. For breakfast I tend to have protein oats, an omelette or bran flakes – paired with fruit and a herbal tea. Having a balanced meal helps increase focus for the day. I’ve also started taking vitamins which include; greens and collagen. If you’re in need of a breakfast treat, try some high protein pancakes.
4. Set yourself ONE priority task for the day
My to do lists are endless, no matter how many tasks I get through in a day there always seems to be more added before I finish at 5pm. During the first few months working from home my motivation and focus took a nose dive, work seemed to just pile on and I never felt like I’d achieved anything.
I decided to stop making long lists of things to do and instead choose one task each day that I absolutely had to finish and this would be my ‘priority’ – anything else achieved after that would be a bonus. This culture of smashing goals and getting shit done is a nice ethos, however it’s just not realistic for everyone and its not a sustainable way to manage your time / workload and takes its toll on your wellbeing.
5. Get up and move
Working at a desk all day long is both physically and mentally draining. I try to get up and move at least every hour, even if it’s just for 5 minutes. Around 11am I will fit in my daily workout, which consists of either 30 minute of resistance training, virtual class or exercise bike – I wrote an article last week with some great resources for free online workouts if you need some inspo.
If I’m not feeling motivated or energetic enough to workout (which happens a lot for me if I’m being honest), I will just go for a 30 minute walk and listen to a podcast or even do some housework – anything to get my body moving mid way through the day.
6. Prep healthy snacks
I work as a digital marketer and run a lot of media and blogger campaigns so my day often varies; one day I might be tasked to analyse data that takes hours to complete or have conference calls scheduled in, the next I might be free to work on campaign plans and outreach.
I usually feel hungry again around this time, and I find planning snacks for the day ahead helps me to focus on the task at hand, instead of sitting thinking about food. I always have healthy snacks ready such as a protein bar, fruit or nuts to get me through to lunch time.
7. Block your diary for 1 hour each day for lunch (even turn on your out of office reply)
During your lunch break, block your diary to show you’re out of office and even put and auto reply on to let people know you’re not available during this time. Even if you plan to eat at your desk, use this hour to do something else away from your computer.
The company I work for have a strict no meeting zone between 12pm and 1pm which is amazing for having that hour always free of disturbances and it’s when I tend to get the most work done so I take my lunch hour after that.
8. Don’t skip lunch
My favourite time of the day. I’m one of those people that plans their day around food. For lunch I try to have a healthy balanced meal, chicken and veggies or scrambled eggs on toast. The best part about working at home is having the time to make a decent meal for lunch.
I always step away from my desk for at least half an hour, either sat at the kitchen table or chill on the couch and put Netflix on (and try to resist the urge for a midday nap). Then back to work with a herbal tea ready to finish my priorities or move onto another task feeling re-energised.
9. How to manage that afternoon slump
The problem with working at home for me is that my new office set up is next door to my bedroom, making the urge to switch off an get into bed hard to resist. One of the ways I get energised for the afternoon is to make a protein packed fruit smoothie, which consists of milk/water, 1 scoop of whey, frozen fruit and collagen – this is a great pick me up.
Other ways to get a little afternoon energiser are meditation, try desk Yoga or listen to a podcast.
10. Go outside at least once per day
Around 4pm I take a 30 to 60 minute breather, I try to go outside at least once per day, especially at the moment with lockdown – being stuck indoors all day without any human interaction can be really demoralising. Fresh air is good for your well-being, boosts your mood, helps with sleep and that daily dose of vitamin D is good for your immune system. If I can’t get outside for a walk then I will do a Yoga video or 30 minutes on my exercise bike (which was the best investment I’ve ever made).
5pm: final push and daily reflection
As my days are now a lot more flexible, I try to avoid the standard 9 to 5 hours and break up the day with well-being activities. So after my breath of fresh air, I log back on feeling refreshed and finish off my tasks for the day. Before logging off I make a plan for the next day, priority lists, reply to any outstanding emails, check the weather for walks the next day and block out time in my calendar for breaks.
11. Transition from work to home
While remote working its important to separate work and home, I’m lucky enough to have the space for a home office where I can simply close the door and go downstairs. Other ways to feel more ‘transitioned’ from work to home is to change your clothes, switch to your joggers and comfy tee or put all of your equipment away if you can – anything that signifies your working day is done.
Then it’s time to make dinner and catch up with family, we try to limit social media in the evening even if it’s just for one hour while we cook and eat. For dinner, again aim to eat a healthy meal with balanced macros such as salmon with baked potato and veggies.
12. Plan your ‘wind down’ time
I love a hot relaxing bath, so I’ll start my wind down routine with this and then get straight into bed and watch Netflix – recently I’ve been watching loads of adventure documentaries to fill the gap of not being able to get outdoors with lockdown restrictions (my weekends are usually spent up a mountain).
At night it when I feel most productive, but it’s obviously not healthy to be working late on a laptop so I keep a notebook on my bedside table, I’ll often be watching a documentary and then an article idea will pop into my head, so to stop me logging on spending hours researching, I’ll write notes for the next day.
13. Turn all technology off an hour before sleep
All technology off. I’ve struggled with sleep in the past and tried so many product to help me to drift off, recently I’ve been having CBD gummies which help a lot – but the most effective thing for me is turning all technology off! So around 10pm I’ll grab a book to read and usually drift off within half an hour giving me a quality 8 hours of sleep each night.
