Ok, hands up if this self-isolation work life is becoming a little bit of a struggle? If, like many of us, you’re missing that first coffee of the morning (and we don’t mean the instant one from home), a gossip with your colleagues, or the lunchtime emergency McDonalds trip, you’re not the only one…
EDITED: 06/11/2020. You might well have been working from home since way back in March. Or, some of you might have been temporarily back in the office until lockdown 2.0 happened. Working from home has been steadily on the rise, but before COVID-19, only 5.1% (ONS, 2019) of UK full-time employees worked permanently from home. However, from 8pm on the 23rd of March 2020, working at home swiftly became the new norm for almost 30 million employed people overnight.
So, how do we deal with this new norm to feel, well, normal? Our resident Fitness Coach (and Yú Parfums Brand Manager) Claire West @heyclairelouise brings us a list of her top tips to make that work from home life, work for you.
Put that commuting time to good use
I’m sure many of us don’t miss that daily commute. That hour round trip to the office is now your time, so rather than sleeping in, why not use it for a morning workout? Open up Instagram now and it’s littered with live workouts from Yoga to HIIT, to Pilates and even dance classes to choose from to kick start your day and your metabolism. Healthy body, healthy mind.
Some of our favourites:
Our 20-minute at home blast (of course)
@Barrysuk who hold 30-minute classes every day
@bloklondon have live sessions daily mimicking their studio classes
Joe Wicks @thebodycoach – how could we not include The Body Coach? Whether it’s a workout for yourself or one to do with the kids, there are so many options.
The morning routine
It can be so easy to stick a clean set of PJ’s on (or just not change out of them), or those 4-day old trackie bottoms and leave your hair unbrushed, ready to commute to the living room… However, if getting ready for work makes you feel good and motivated, why not carry it on at home? Granted, there’s no need to put uncomfortable clothes on for the sake of it and makeup is of course optional (good time to give the skin time to breathe). But waking up and getting yourself ready as normal can help you feel yourself if you’re a little lost. So get dressed, stick to your morning beauty routine, spritz that scent and get cracking with the day ahead…Just have your pjs ready for 5pm to pop on when you log off.
Virtual coffee
With multiple Zooms and MS Teams calls filing up your daily diary, they’re great for actioning daily tasks and bringing the team together effectively, but what about a good ‘ol gossip or banter with your work bestie? If your meeting finishes early, why not have a virtual coffee? Take 10 minutes post-meeting simply to discuss how working from home is going, the good and the bad. These types of conversations can change your mood for the day so put those spare 10-minutes to good use.
Fresh air
If an at-home workout just isn’t your thing, use your lunchtime to go for a brisk walk or run around – a great way to clear the mind after a busy morning. Try setting aside around 45 minutes every day to walk around and explore your local area – you never know what’s around the corner! Getting that vitamin-D and fresh air will have you ready to tackle a jampacked task list.
What are your tips on working from home? Let us know in the comments below. We are all in this together, stay connected, stay well and stay at home.
Featured image: photo by Kaboompics .com from Pexels
