Assalamu’alaikum! And we’re back with more tips for WFH (or HBL)! If you missed Part 1 of Tips for WFH, do go on e-leven.co and get yourself the full list of tips for WFH! Let’s start right where we left off:
1. Eat, sleep and exercise
Exercise. Staying at home right now is for the safety of yourself and your loved ones. But trust me when I say that I understand if you feel like you’ve been cooped up. There is only so much space to go around. I work at my desk and it can be so draining to just stay in one spot over long periods of time. I find myself needing to just move every so often. If going out for a stroll or a run is your thing and you feel safe doing it, then please do so! Alternatively, you can do simple stretches or short exercise drills that you can do in the comfort of your own room.
2. Create a to-do list
I find myself going through periods of feeling disconnected from the rest of the world throughout this pandemic. This certainly does me no good, especially when work, important deadlines, and to-dos start to pile up. It gets stressful and I feel like I can’t breathe. If you experience this too, I find that sitting down and creating a to-do list to clear all that’s been weighing down on my head helps! I always remember to draw little squares next to each to-do. It gives me so much satisfaction to check off those boxes! 😋 It’s a good visual affirmation that I am okay and on track with what I need to do.
3. Keep an active social life
Now that your work life has gone remote, be careful of getting disconnected altogether. The level of interaction needed to feel connected may differ from person to person. I hope you figure out what’s a good balance for yourself. Additionally, just because you don’t see your friends, colleagues, or classmates offscreen or you only communicate with them online doesn’t mean that you can’t still care for them! Find time to talk to them. Who knows? They may be having a rough time. Take care of yourself and when you can, look out for your friends too!
4. Be kind to (others and) yourself
Don’t be too hard on yourself when you feel like you haven’t been productive enough. Productivity can look different each day. Every time I feel like my day is not going in the direction I want it to, I try to remind myself that it’s never too late to decide how the rest of my day will go! If you have a to-do list, make sure it’s a manageable one and not something that will result in you overexerting yourself. A little leeway to make some rearrangement in your to-do list or planner should be allowed. To me, setting aside time for self-care or spending time with loved ones is like an investment for the mind and soul, so that when the time comes and I do have to get back to work, I’m rested and refreshed.
5. Have a designated wind-down time
I have to admit: when I don’t get the ‘me time’ I need to wind down for the day, I self-sabotage by doing things like staying up way past my intended bedtime because I feel that the time I had in the rest of the day wasn’t mine. I believe it’s called revenge bedtime procrastination. This experience taught me that I need a designated stress-free period to help me breathe and relax after the day’s events. One way I achieve this is by cleaning and packing up my things after work - it almost feels cathartic sometimes, knowing I’m done with work for the day. I hope you find a way to establish your own stress-free period too! The same way a morning routine may help kickstart your day, this can be a wonderful way to end your day.
Your WFH routine needs to be catered to you - it should be designed so that it works best for YOU! I hope you found some useful tips here that help you plan out your own WFH routine. Who says work-life balance has to be a myth? May He guide us through these challenging times.