In this worldwide crisis, a lot of us are home and work from there. Here are five tips to get more stuff done and be extra productive.
There was never a better time to write this article. And here we’re, all at home with our work and the household and the kids and everything around us. I was talking a lot with my partner about his routine and why he’s so consistent. And why is that even possible? This guy is up every morning at 3.45am and I mean, he’s really up. When I would snooze my alarm for two more hours despite the fact that the alarm goes literally every 10 minutes off, he’s going up in the middle of night. And no, he’s not working in a bakery or something.
“Go up when the alarm is going off. Simple as that.”
Its important to him to have some me-time in the morning. Its the only quiet time he has and in these hours, he gets ready for the day. I never understood this better than becoming a Mom. My me-time is normally in the evenings, almost nights – so the opposite to him. At the moment, I’m working on my sleep-schedule to go up earlier and be in bed to a more reasonable hour than 2 o’clock in the morning.
Here are his five most important tips to be and stay productive in the home office.
1. Get up early to have some me-time.
There’s nothing better than be prepared for the day. Take some time, sip your coffee in silence, meditate, read, write your gratitude diary or check your investments. It’s a complete different day when you have enough time to awaken and to plan your day compared to go out off bed and immediately being stressed because you’re running already late. This was me some years ago. I always had the feeling that I was one step behind and so I did everything at once. Do you remember this episode with Mr. Bean where he’s going to the Dentist? That was exactly me. I did not brush my teeth behind the steering wheel – but I painted my nails. Or smoked 10 cigarettes on the way to the Office in my car. So, get your sweet butt up and move. Your day will be so much better.
2. Make the bed and dress yourself.
Say goodbye to the night and start your day fresh. Make your bed, put a nice cover over it, shake the pillows out and open the windows. Be in the present and breathe in, breathe out.
Take a shower, put some make-up on and get dressed. As a Mom to a Toddler I know this isn’t always easy. There were some days – many days – when I didn’t have enough sleep and no me-time or some time. Especially in the beginning when I was a new Mom. I didn’t have energy to dress me, to put make-up on or do my hair. And that’s ok too. But now, after the newborn-stage, I have some more time on my hands and what I can say: for my brain it makes a huge difference when I go up, make the bed and dress myself. It’s like a little success every morning and two checkmarks I can make – I would say, this is a good start in the day.
3. Schedule times and make a to-do list.
Try to really stick to your plan and the times. I know, at home there’s always something to do and when your eyes wander around, you will see some dust or dishes or the washing machine should be emptied or, or, or. Try to focus on your work, your plan and do all the other things in a short break. I recommend to not seat in the kitchen, dining table or living room to avoid these wandering thoughts around the household. When possible, go and sit in your office and close the door. So it’s easier to separate your work and your life.
4. Find some activities to relieve stress.
This is so important. Especially in time like this, don’t watch all the news and please, don’t let the TV run in the background. I find this the worst to my mental health. Instead, try to do some exercises at home with body weight so you don’t have to buy expensive gear. Or try Yoga, Pilates or dance (how about a tiktok-dance?) – there’s so many possibilities to lower your stress level and help you to stay mentally strong and healthy.
Without my walks in nature with our dog, I would literally go insane. After a good walk in the forest, I feel always more energetic and full of new ideas and motivation. Here in Switzerland, the government recommends to stay at home – like everywhere else. But with a dog, you have to go out – so I make sure that I’m planning my walks around lunch time – when I know there are really no people around and we’re living in the country side with lots of different places to go. And when I see people out walking, I always have the social distance from 2 meters at least.
5. Whatever you do, make it a habit.
My partner has approximately 3-4 weeks to do certain things and to make it a habit. According to scientists and researchers it takes up to 12 weeks to completely transform a new habit. Don’t give up when these first weeks are hard and you think, you can’t do it. You can. And the reward will be yours.
““Stick to your schedule and make it a habit.”
And what about you? What helped you during this time in the home office? Are you still at home? Let me know.
With love,
Audrey
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