What are your tips for healthy living for WFH alone/single people?
Divya
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Vedran Rasic
LeadDelta professional relationships CRM
@divyamundhra I worked from home for 4 straight years, 2 years alone, and I worked 6 years in a mixed remote/office setup. Here are some of my tips for setting healthy work-life boundaries at home:
1. Separate living from working environment. When I shut the door of my basement, that's it.
2. I have my "office" shoes. When I am in them, I am primed to think that work just started. It's a kind of neat way to divide my routines.
3. Go to a coffee shop or work with somebody you like for a day. Or just go to the office if possible.
4. Have focused time. Book off some time on your calendar without notifications, just deep work.
5. If possible, put sounds and distractions to a minimum.
6. Put your phone out of sight and reach when on your laptop/desktop.
7. If you work on a computer, just get a standing desk. That's it. Period. Go! And get that standing mat too. :)
8. Figure out what calms you. Example: Sometimes, I take a shower in the middle of the day. Other days I just take a nap or go jogging.
9. It's OK not to be productive. Take time off the screen. Do it often.
10. Setup times in your calendar for meals, exercise, hobbies, friends. Just book it off. That's it. That way you'll never get to feel lonely.
11. Try and have at least 1 day/week without meetings. Book it off. Fridays tend to be good days for that.
12. Try not to bring any digital/office gear to your bedroom.
13. Have two computers. One for work. One for fun.
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@vedranrasic Thank you so much for sharing! These tips are sure going to help me and a lot of other people too.
I'd say:
- Make sure to take lunch break + go out (doesn't matter for a walk, sit at the park, or just enjoy the sun) In the beginning of the WFH phase I tend to stay at home for days without getting out of my apartment. That's unhealthy mentally and physically, so I remind myself often nowadays.
- Identify the most important to-dos of the day (focus on them, instead of focusing on what tons of other tasks need to be completed). Use a digital task management app like Zenkit To Do. It's a free product from our startup, but of course you can also use pen & paper or anything else you prefer.
- Set timer to remind yourself for breaks.
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Set regularly scheduled breakfast/lunch/coffee dates with friends throughout the week (it doesn't even have to be in person if that's too difficult sometimes). Your job is likely getting way more from you since you no longer chit chat with co-workers in an office, so make sure you still get some of that socialization time with you family and friends.
If I was still single and without kids, I would be doing a morning run, taking an afternoon power nap, and going for the occasional coffee run. Now I mostly lift weights (kids).
For me it all starts with sport. Start small with it, then you start to pay more attention on what you eat, decide to buy more books etc.
Find that one thing for you, could be different thing. The moral of the story, start small :)
Hope you find your way, cheers!
Create a calendar of schedules and strictly follow them. That way, you won't be tempted to just lazy around in the house, and I tell you, there are many temptations, after all, you are in your comfort zone. Good luck!
Find an IRL community - women in product, women who code, startup founders, indie hackers, mountain climbers etc, whatever resonates with you, and participate.
It will be awkward at first but then you will find friends and new acquaintances and you will start looking forward to the events.
The only way to break out of monotonous WFH loneliness is to find other ways of human interaction.
Routine, routine, routine!
Track habits on a daily basis (from working out, eating healthy, whatever helps you personally!)
Move out
Get a large dog with lots of energy (e.g. a boxer). They will need to expend their energy every day. A dog will be ready to go whenever you are finished working and so you can go run around with them, wrestle a bit, and get a bit of exercise. They provide an easy way to get your mind off of the biz/work.
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For me define clear time for your daily task. It help me alot to know what I need to do. I do with the help pomodoro technique. You can google it if you don't know.
Apart from this allocate some time for physical activity . It can be anything simple as walking or hitting gym. Any activity work if it helps you to be physically fit. (For me I try not to use any electronic device when I am up for physically activity. It help alot to reset yourself :-))
By tracking your time, it help to be more efficient.
TM - Transcendental Meditation has CHANGED MY LIFE! I would go to the closest TM center and take a week lesson, and start practicing right away. 20 mins at night, 20 in the morning. It calms you down significantly and puts you into a state of 'profound deep rest' which is generally needed for people with long hours in an isolated environment. I know it sounds crazy but there is so much science behind it !!! Hope that helps! Let me know what you think or if you ever try it out!!!
For me, having a schedule works. Even if my bosses don't really micromanage, I want to have a schedule that works for me so I can be productive in those hours.
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@siena_romes Yeah, this is really important. I try to make sure my day gives me some uninterrupted stretches of time to work, instead of allowing meetings to get sprinkled throughout my day. It's best to limit the context switching cost.
Try creating a www.reaction-club.com app for you and your friends. We have it in our team and it really help us stay connected. The free version is enough in my opinion
Super simple but important in the long run. During WFH, I dressed every work day as I would when going to the office. No pajamas ;)