22 Tips To Love Working From Home Even During the Coronavirus Lockdown
Since the early days of lockdown, I have placed my laptop in various precariously balanced positions as I’ve relied on Zoom, calendar apps and various messaging to communicate, from the sofa, to the kitchen table, to my lap. Inevitably, ‘tech neck’ finally struck and I had to take a few days off and re-think my whole setup whilst my neck recuperated. ‘Tech neck’ occurs from overuse, when your neck muscles have been supporting your 10-to-12-pound head as you look downward. It is also known as ‘Text neck’ for heavy mobile/cell phone users.
However, this was not the only challenge I faced in Lockdown and the following are the changes I made to physically and psychologically cope in a life of isolation.
Ergonomics
Ensure with any screen you are using that you align your eye level with the top of the screen. If this means raising your laptop on a pile of books, do it! This is the number one way to avoid neck issues. Of course, if you are raising a laptop, you will also need to connect a keyboard and mouse and position them when you are seated or standing. You position your forearms at a 90-degree angle or more and keep your shoulders relaxed. Keep your upper-body upright and the keyboard close enough to you so that you are not leaning over it. Personally, I graduated to an ultrawide monitor screen which is a huge productivity saver. I just plug my laptop in, and I can have 3 full pages at a time, fully open in front of me.
2. Stand up as much as possible
You burn more calories standing than sitting or lazing on the sofa. If you can find a high table, kitchen top or bar top to work on, this gives you plenty of height to stand and work for a break from sitting. The latest trend for homeworkers is using their height adjustable ironing board! I just use a box on may table or desk that is large enough to bring my screen higher.
Standing and moving is even better!
3. Housework
Is the ultimate way to break up your work, a little at a time. Get those dishes away, vacuum a floor area, clean those surfaces, get that washing on and hang it up later. This is all free exercise, and the physicality of it takes you away from the mental process of work. Do it in contained blocks to break up your sitting about.
4. Time to Declutter and Minimise
If you are distracted by an overwhelming amount of stuff surrounding you, then the way to de-stress and become more functional and productive is to first sort it into categories and then ultimately get rid of all that extraneous matter you no longer use or need. Do you really need more than 3 black pens?
5. Doodle or write lists and thoughts down.
In High School, I used to have a really cool teacher called Mr McShane. He had a doodle pad on his desk on which he would draw cartoons and patterns and write down his thoughts. I’ll never forget it and I always have one by me in my working area as well. It provides you some space to zone out for a moment or keep busy when a conversation is being dominated by another on Zoom!
6. Pomodoro Timer
The Pomodoro Technique was created by Francesco Cirillo in the 1980s. A timer is set to 25 minutes in length, separated by breaks of 5 to 10 minutes. Each interval is known as a pomodoro, which means ‘tomato’ in Italian. Francesco used a tomato-shaped timer when he was studying at University. They say in education that a person’s concentration span is roughly around 20 minutes. The pomodoro system stretches that a little longer, and it all depends on your motivation to get something done. The great thing is that it forces you to take a break, a perfect time to stretch and breath.
7. Children
If you have young children, you probably don’t need advice on taking breaks from work because you must cater to your children’s needs whilst busy juggling work. However, you do need to find some way of having your own time, which means tiring you children out by keeping daily routines, including their waking up and bed time. My friend has set up a workstation opposite him for his children to use. He has the kitchen table set with pre-prepared activities and lots of pencils, pens and art materials. I suggest you also create spaces such as a reading corner and exercise space and mat, or even better, make use of your garden if you have one.
8. Light
Most people are affected by the light and it is best to receive as much natural light as possible in your workspace, to keep your spirits up and your eyestrain low. Position your desk near windows and skylights. One evening when I was walking my dog, I saw a number of people working in their upstairs room in front of the window, so it certainly appears to be a preferred experience. I enjoy working under a skylight and near several windows. There is nothing better than the chance to gaze out at the sky or occasionally people watch as they pass. If you need zero distraction in order to concentrate, then a blank wall is probably your preference.
9. Noise and sounds
I tend to need some sounds in the background when I work, just to give a sense of company. This can be a radio talk show or podcast. When I really need to focus, I will rely on non-intrusive instrumental music. My favourite choices are Lo-fi beats, baroque study music, other Classical or nature sounds. You can find all of these on YouTube. If you have space in the corner of your monitor, try a free 4k nature video on YouTube.
You can always celebrate for 5 minutes after a stretch of concentration with your favourite hip-hop or death metal!
If you are being distracted by other noise in the household or neighbourhood, it’s time to get out your headphones, especially noise-cancelling if you have them.
10. Zoom Face and lighting
Be aware of Zoomface! As Zoom and other video communication services tends to distort your appearance, according to new articles, there has been a higher increase in wrinkle reduction treatments, Botox and even plastic surgery! I know that it can be quite disturbing seeing and hearing yourself on screen, however, if you are really concerned about how you look, consider the following:
You want people to look at your face and not what’s behind you, blank walls and maybe just one picture in the background is less distractible. You can blur your background if it is messy until you have a chance to clear it.
Position your camera at eye level, not capturing you from lower than the centre of your face. Remember to look at the camera directly.
The source of light must come from in front of you, not behind and not from the side casting shadows. An LED light is more flattering for digital cameras; a 5k or 6k daylight bulb is the perfect choice.
If you want a perfect lighting setup, 3 led bulbs is ideal with one directly in front of you and the other two placed on your left and right at a 45-degree angle.
You can also use natural light if it is bright enough, just ensure that you are facing into it.
11. Take the Initiative
Contact people at your advantage, rather than being caught out when you are not ready. By pre-empting calls and being prepared, your day will be less of a stress. As a Leader and a Manager, I have always used this technique to open communications when I am ready, rather than being at the whim of a random call or meeting, when you may be busy with another issue or simply outright tired after a hard day’s work.
12. Plan your day each morning before you start
Quite obvious but essential for your productivity and sanity. Schedule your day using a calendar and to-do. Be realistic. Schedule the important things for the best time of your day. This is usually in the morning when issues have not arisen as the day has gone by. Remember, thinking through and setting SMART goals makes your life easier:
Specific
Measurable
Actionable
Relevant
Time-Bound
Don’t forget to schedule your breaks and what you might do as well!
13. Watch that coffee or tea consumption
Don’t wire yourself up with too much caffeine. Try the following:
Invest in decaf and make it every second cup
Sip from small mugs with less caffeine content
Alternate every mug with a glass of water
As caffeine makes you need the toilet, it will dehydrate you. Great concentration relies on staying hydrated.
14. Plants
A bit of greenery around you also contributes to your wellbeing. It adds a touch of nature in a sterile people-constructed environment and has a natural soothing effect on our ancestral minds. Easy care bamboo, palms, spider plants, money plants and Calathea are simple to maintain and difficult to kill.
Even better, start a veggie patch! You can even grow them indoors.
15. Indoor Exercise
There are so many exercises that can be done indoors as a break from work. Some that require little or no equipment are obvious: stretching, yoga, body-weight, 7-minute HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), learning Tai Chi from YouTube. All can be partly or fully completed in a 5-to-10-minute break.
16. Outdoor Exercise
Get out and walk. Get out and exercise. Visit your favourite nearby places or explore new streets or natural surroundings. If you are no longer socialising or visiting other places for leisure due to lockdown restrictions, you need to get motivated, creative and get outside. Fresh air, light and space are all needed to contribute to our health.
17. Socialising
As Social Animals, we need contact, not just via screens. Take a walk, you don’t even need to speak to anyone, just be around others, passing them by. This brings you back into the fold of humanity despite the inconvenience of being locked-down.
18. Look after your little friends
I am talking about animals here! Play with your pets and exercise them. If you don’t have any pets, consider walking someone else’s dog or start to look after the natural world around you. Provide healthy seeds for birds. Interacting with animals also has a huge impact on most people’s wellbeing and the animals enjoy it too!
19. Cook and Bake
Here’s your chance to organise your cooking and try some new things. In the spaces of time you have through the day, you can explore recipes, prep your ingredients and gradually bring your creation into fruition. Then enjoy eating it!
20. Breathe
Not a difficult concept, however one that we often need to schedule into our day and also need to remind ourselves to do. Taking a deep breath in for 10 seconds, holding it for 3 to 5 seconds and letting it out in 3 to 10 seconds is a great way to get your lungs filled with new, clean air. Take it further and you can meditate for a few minutes, allowing all thoughts of the past and present to pass by as you focus on your breathing in this present moment.
21. Reading
Take some moments to read or study something in total silence. This will help you empty your mind of your work demands, if only for a moment in time. You will return to work having been transported to a different space or time (especially if it is a fiction book).
22. Handy Apps for Wellbeing:
Use the following search terms in your app store and also use your reminders to set certain times throughout the day:
Pomodoro timer
Drinking Water reminder
Breathing Reminder
Standing up reminder
Health app
Screen time reminder
Timer for mindfulness/Meditation
Yoga app
Guided Mindfulness/Meditation app
7-minute HIIT
Want to learn more about Mindfulness, Minimalism and Self-Development? Click This Link!