We’ve missed seeing Emily’s smiling face in our studios over the last week, so caught up with her about how she’s finding working from home.
Before COVID-19, if someone told me they were working from home, I would be insanely jealous. I always envisioned my colleagues sitting in bed with their laptop and a cup of tea while I was on the central line to Bank Station at rush hour with someone’s armpit in my face!
However, over the last few weeks, everything has massively changed. Not only can I no longer teach all the fabulous people that come to my morning and evening classes at Digme, my 9-5 office job is now based in my flat!
The novelty of working from home wore off at day two if I am completely honest with you. The WiFi connection in my bedroom isn’t strong enough for me to work in bed (just kidding Boss if you are reading this!), and my pea-sized bladder means that I can only have two cups of tea a day!
With the prospect of working from home for the next few weeks, I’ve put together some points that I’m going to stick to every day of my working week, and I wanted to share them with you. They are going to help me maintain some structure in my day, keep positive and show COVID19 that it may restrict us in distance but not in our capabilities!
- Set yourself an alarm - If you start work at 9am, don’t roll our of bed at 8.59 and 59 seconds! Get yourself up and awake. Wash your face, have a shower and brush those teeth! If you’re usually an active person in the mornings, get your morning workout in as you usually would. It’s a great way to start the day!
- Get out of your PJs – Not a morning person and don’t fancy jumping out of bed straight into a workout? Then make sure you get out of those Pjs put on some fresh clothes. Yes, they may be comfy, but fresh clothes will set you up in the right frame of mind for work.
- Open the blinds - let in the natural sunlight, and even open the windows to get some fresh air (if it’s not too chilly!)
- Set up your space – Make yourself a little office. Whether it’s the dining room table or your dressing room table, find a place where you can focus, away from distractions. I try to work in a different room to where I relax, so that I can switch off in the evening.
- Put the radio on – If you are like me and are used to working in a busy and noisy office, working in complete silence doesn’t feel right. Reach for the radio, rather than the TV remote, for some background music!
- Lets talk food - If you’ve managed to get to the supermarket to do a food shop, try and stick to eating your usual breakfast and lunch at your usual time. If you normally have an afternoon snack, don’t limit yourself, and enjoy!
- Take a lunch hour – It may be easier said than done for a lot of us, but it’s important to take a break and detach from work. I love joining a Digme home workout on their Instagram or Youtube to get active and get my endorphins flowing. If a workout isn’t your thing, or you’ve already done a morning workout, working from home gives you a chance to tick off some jobs, like putting the washing machine on and get your ironing done!
- Keep in contact with colleagues - if you work in a team, connect with your colleagues regularly throughout the day to keep yourself accountable, motivated and maintain the office dynamic.
- Finish your working day with a to-do list – it’s a great way to set out what you need to complete tomorrow, so you can hit the ground running come 9am.
- Try and stick to watching the news once a day – with all the uncertainty at the moment, I’ve decided to limit myself to only watching the 5pm news, so I can try to avoid feeling overwhelmed or anxious.
- Connect with your friends and family – once your workday is over, join a Whatsapp, Facetime, Houseparty or Skype call with your loved ones. Even if you can’t be with them in person, speaking to them and seeing their faces is a great way to put a smile on your face!
And we’ve made it to the weekend!! When we are staying at home throughout the week, it’s hard to make the weekend feel different, but use this time to relax and try to have some time away from your screen! Get outside, either in your garden or for your one bit of exercise a day, and enjoy the fresh air and those beautiful blue skies we have at the moment!
I’m going to spend my Friday and Saturday nights bingeing on some trashy or hilarious Netflix series – any recommendations welcome!! Pour the wine, the beer, the gin or any other tipple, and video call your friends who are doing the same. At least you don’t have to worry about an expensive taxi home because you stayed out later than planned and missed the last train home (we’ve all been there!!).
Stay healthy, stay positive and look after yourself both physically and mentally.
Emily x
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