Tips to help you while working from home
26/03/2020
We know that many of us are worrying about the current situation and how it might affect our lives. It is likely that many of you are working from home to help keep us all safe during the coronavirus outbreak. It is important we recognise how it may affect our mental health. Working from home can sound like a nice thing but it is a big shift for lots of people and we may be working from home for some time.
Here are our top tips to help you adjust and look after your own wellbeing –
- Get dressed – as if you were going to work – this should help you get ready to focus (and is recommended if you are doing video calls with colleagues!)
- Try and start the day with a walk – to mimic the commute to work, if this is not possible try to do some exercise, yoga or meditation.
- Create a clear space where you can work, by a window if possible and without too many distractions, have some water and healthy snacks close by to help reduce the need to go to the kitchen (and avoid raiding the biscuit tin every five minutes – this is harder if you are working in the kitchen).
- It may be useful to segment your days into different tasks. Keep a list of work you can do and start to tick them off, working on one thing at a time.
- Stick to your schedule. You may be tempted to work longer due to the time you are saving by not commuting but boundaries are still important for your wellbeing.
- Every 45/60 minutes make sure you get up and move around.
- Put the washing on or do the hoovering if you are that way inclined – you would be taking some breaks at work anyway, so do not feel guilty about getting other things done.
- Make sure that you stop for lunch and give yourself at least a 30 minute lunch break.
- Throughout the day, or at set times, make sure you connect with your colleagues to check how things are going. There are lots of ways to do this including Microsoft Teams, Skype or by phone. This will also help you establish new ways of working as everyone adapts to the new ways of doing things.
- If you can work and listen to music – sort out your working at home playlist (check out our Feel Good Playlist on Spotify).
- If you have the space some people find using different places around the home to do different tasks is helpful. It is advisable not to work in your bedroom if possible so you can keep this as your sanctuary and keep it as part of your home life rather than work.
- It might be an opportunity to be more flexible with your day, so discuss with your manager (if applicable) if you can work different hours. This may be particularly useful if you also have children at home and are trying to juggle their needs with your work.
- You may want to discuss with your manager (or your team if you are a manager) the creation of Wellness Action Plans.
There is further information for manager’s available on the national Mind website and the Mental Health at Work website.
ACAS have also created coronavirus guidance for employers and employees (including information on self-isolation and sick pay, business closure and taking time off to look after a loved one).
For more information about coronavirus and your wellbeing please see the national Mind web page, which includes all the latest guidance.
Please connect with us on social media and share your tips for working from home with us and our followers.