I’m writing this article at the heightened time of COVID-19. It’s all about self-quarantine and staying at home. How are you dealing with everything? As an introvert, I kind of like this arrangement. I am working from home (WFH), and although I miss seeing my co-workers’ faces, I like being free of people distractions. If you are having a difficult time working from home; you’ve never had to work from home, here are a few tips which I hope help you along the way.

1. Set up a designated work space. If you need to clear a section of your dining room table, so be it. Only place I would not set up work space is in the bedroom. That’s your sacred sanctuary.

2. Maintain your morning routine. Keeping some normalcy will help keep your momentum going. My morning routine consists of 15-30 minutes of yoga first thing. I do a short meditation. I am loving the Insight Timer app. Then I have a cup of coffee and get some journaling in. If I have dreams that I can recall, I write them down. I write down what the main things that I get to complete for the day.

3. Create a work structure for yourself. Set your alarm. Get ready as you normally would. Identify your work hours and stick to them. Some of us can continue working “forever” and it’s just not necessary.

4. Have a distraction problem? Put your phone on airplane mode. Identify your most important task or project. Do the hard things first. Set your time for 25 minutes and go. Stay focused on the task at hand. Once your timer goes off. Set it for 5 minutes and get up. Walk around your house. Take a 5 minute walk outside. Then set your timer for another 25 minutes. Go through three rounds and then take a longer break. This is known as the pomodoro method. Google it!

5. Make time to connect with co-workers. I usually walk with a co-worker every day, even if it’s for 5 minutes. Since we can’t be in the same space, we FaceTime’d and did a virtual walk! It was fun; we got to catch up on work and life.

6. Have an end of day routine. As I mentioned in #3 create work hours for yourself. End your day with a ceremonious something to signal the end of the day. Maybe it’s saving the last hour of your day for responding to email. Maybe it’s closing your laptop at 6pm. Maybe it’s setting your alarm for a 5:30pm at home yoga session.

I hope these tips are helpful for you. If you want to connect further, drop a line to clarissa@clarissastudio.com Be well!