- When you get up in the morning, make your bed. This is the first job of the day successfully achieved and has set you on the right mindset for the rest of the day.
- As appealing as it sounds staying in your PJ’s all day may not be very productive. Put on something bright and colourful for your working day. Yellow is a positive colour associated with power, self-esteem and communication. Whatever your favourite colour is, this will help stimulate you to be productive and increase concentration.
- It is important that we all still follow the same rules on sanitising. Keep your work space clean and regularly sanitise your desk, keyboard, and mouse. Most importantly, and often forgotten, use sanitising wipes on your telephone and mobile phone as this is something that is always in your hands. Don’t forget to wash hands and sing happy birthday or Baby Shark. https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/how-to-prevent-germs-from-spreading/
- Don’t be tempted to put on the TV, let’s face it the news is depressing and it will be quite a distraction especially if you get pulled into a Netflix vortex and wonder where the last 4 days went. Instead opt for the radio quietly in the background. The white noise will help emulate other people and will make it feel more like being in the workplace. In addition, singing is very good for you as the deep breathing involved helps get more oxygen into your bloodstream increasing alertness and energy.
- It is natural during our working day in the office to be called away from your desk to check something or pop out for a sandwich or collect something from the printer. When you are at home it is very easy to get lost in the work and you will find yourself stuck at the desk for hours without a break. My chiropractor advised to follow the 30/30 rule; for every 30 minutes seated in one position set an alarm or Fit Bit to do 30 seconds out of the seat, perhaps some stretches, touch toes, move the neck around. https://www.verywellfit.com/best-stretches-for-office-workers-1231153
- Set yourself a proper schedule to include a lunch break, it’s very tempting whilst at home to snaffle your way through the day. Try to limit snacking and opt for healthy choices like apples or bananas and ensure you drink plenty of water through the day. https://metro.co.uk/2020/03/16/foods-vitamins-help-boost-immune-system-12403799/
- Make sure you set yourself time to go outside. Perhaps a walk around the block or a few laps of the garden to stretch the legs and get some fresh air. The National Trust have advised they are keeping their gardens and parkland open & free of charge for the nation to enjoy whilst observing social distancing measures. If there is an NT place near you, take advantage of this time to get out and about. https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/news/our-latest-statement-on-coronavirus-covid-19
- How are you finding co-working with a partner at home? This is a tricky one, it could be great or not great. Working from separate spaces may be an idea if one or the other is particularly noisy. Make time to meet up with each other in the kitchen for coffee breaks and a chat.
- Children can be very difficult co-workers indeed and harder to please than the toughest CEO. Whilst being cautious of too much screen time, do liaise with school to find the best educational online tools for example DB Primary or whatever the equivalent is that your child’s school advises. They will be doing schoolwork without realising it. For the very small, CBeebies has a great online selection of games, puzzles, colouring in, stories and much more https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies. If in doubt I always find tipping a big pile of Lego into the middle of the room and requesting a house, castle or a pyramid is built and this will occupy small hands and minds for quite a while whilst helping develop their fine motor skills.
- Mental health is something that is at the forefront of our minds. It is so important that whilst we are isolating, we must remember that our colleagues are also in the same boat. Keep in contact with each other, reach out if you haven’t heard in a while. You can still phone each other or email and text and keep morale and positivity going during this sticky spell. We are all in this together and it will all be OK very soon.
Stay safe and keep positive
