Written by Lindsay Renee Belair

The world is an unsettling, scattered place right now, but your work from home routine doesn’t have to be. How you plan your day is ultimately whatever works best for you and your lifestyle, but here are a few tips and tricks to guide your work from home routine during quarantine that will set you up for success throughout the day. 

1. Wake up at the same time

When working from home every day, it’s tempting to sleep in and push back your daunting to-do list. While it’s perfectly okay to treat yourself once in a while, it’s important not to make this a habit by setting a disciplined time to wake up each morning. Try setting your alarm to your favorite jam that will motivate you to get up and start your day. 

2. Exercise

The best way to get a daily dose of energy is by exercising in the morning. Whether it’s going for a run or practicing yoga, try to do something to get your heart rate up a little before you start your work. Early morning exercise will improve your mood and your focus before you even start your workday. And it makes for a more relaxing end to your day when you get your workout over with in the morning. 

3. Shower and get dressed

While sweatpants and fuzzy socks are always tempting, comfy clothes will only convince you to jump right back into bed. Instead, you should dress the way you usually would for work to maintain a sense of normalcy. The key to working from home is routine, and dressing the part of a usual day is an essential part of that routine. 

4. Practice gratitude

While enjoying a healthy breakfast and a cup of coffee or tea, make sure to set aside some time to practice gratitude and write down three things that you are grateful for today. We practice gratitude not only every day on our retreats but when we are home as well. Research has shown that gratitude can improve general well-being, increase resilience, strengthen social relationships, and reduce stress and depression. The more grateful people are, the greater their overall well-being and life satisfaction.

5. Create a To-Do list

Staying organized when working from home is very important. Try making a to-do list, with your highest priorities at the top and your least important tasks at the bottom. This will keep you motivated to keep crossing things off your list, and will help you feel accomplished at the end of the day when you can look back at everything you’ve completed. 

6. Set an alarm for each task

When working from home, it’s easy to lose focus or burn out quicker than you typically would. To prevent this from happening, try setting an alarm for each task you need to accomplish. This will force you to keep moving along, and will remove any temptation of checking your phone, or completing that task around the house you’ve been wanting to do for months. 

7. Eat a healthy lunch

Prepare a lunch that you would normally eat while working in the office. Working from home makes it too easy to indulge in foods you wouldn’t typically eat, and it’s important to keep track of that. While a tasty snack is perfectly acceptable once in a while, try not to make it a habit by snacking every hour when you wouldn’t typically do that in the office. 

8. Take breaks

Go for a walk and get some fresh air before you tackle the rest of your duties. This will help you refocus with a clear mind when heading back to your quiet space to finish the rest of your day.

9. Assign an end time to your workday

If you don’t assign a set time to end your workday, you will either never be motivated to get your work done, or you will never stop working. Like any other typical workday, have an idea of when you’d like to be done by and stick to that. 

10. Top off your day with a dose of self-care!

Working from home is not an easy task, so be kind to yourself along the way. Reward yourself by reading a good book at the end of the day, spend some time journaling, or light some candles & take a hot bubble bath. It’s important to unwind before you gear up to do it all over again tomorrow!