Working from Home: Breaking Habits and Creating a Healthy Routine

With most of us having to work remotely or from home over the past few years, we feel like we lack structure and routine in our daily lives. This happens because we are no longer waking up at the crack of dawn and leaving the house to get to work. Yes, we all have to wake up early in the morning and have to appear online, but let’s face it, a lot of us turn on our laptops and go back to sleep. We lack the motivation to get dressed and leave the house, and some of us prefer to work from the comfort of our bedrooms and in our PJs. Routine isn’t always great, but it gives us a sense of normalcy. What’s worse is sticking to a routine that is not fulfilling, leaving us with a sense of dread. Staying home daily, and having our laptops as our only source of communication with the outside world, allows us to stay in our own little “home” bubble. It makes us feel isolated, and we start to feel at ease with this isolation, mostly leading us to cut down on our activities and saying no to seeing others. Here are some things we can do to help us break this cycle, feel less isolated, and creating a routine that is better at keeping our mental health in check. 

Create a regular sleep schedule

There is no specific time for us to wake up at daily. What matters is we don’t fall into the loop of sleeping late, and waking up late and exhausted. Sleeping schedules play a huge role in our health and productivity levels. It’s important to set a regular sleep schedule that works best for you, and not turn off the alarm multiple times before deciding it’s time to get out of bed. 

Make the bed

Try not to make it a habit of working from your bed (or bedroom if possible), instead when you wake in the morning take the time to make your bed! The mere fact that you’ve made your bed in the morning gives you the satisfaction that you’ve completed a task already in your day, helping you feel motivated for the rest of your work day. This gives you a sense of productivity, which can be very helpful to get you organized for the day.

Exercise

Exercising does not mean going to the gym, it just means move your body around. Take 15 minutes before starting your day to meditate, do some yoga, or do something as simple as house chores. Don’t wake up and start working right away, move your body around, and feel energized before sitting back down.

Eat your breakfast

We all talk about how breakfast is the most important meal of the day, yet it’s the meal we tend to skip. A lot of us settle for coffee in the morning and jump right into lunch (including me). Yes this is a hard habit to break, but it’s important to fuel your body to signal that you are awake! If you’re one of those people who don’t like to eat a full meal bright and early in the morning, even a simple banana or a few dates could be enough just to get your metabolism working. Start with small snacks until you eventually have the capacity to have a full meal (if you’re like me, that will be around lunch time). 

Break up your tasks

Stand up and move throughout the day! Don’t sit for multiple hours without moving from your desk. Make it your mission to walk around the house every hour. For example, get up to get a bottle of water or to grab a snack, or (if you have time) call a friend and pace around while talking. Anything you want to do, just don’t slouch for more than an hour in the same seated position. Your body will thank you.

Take a walk in your neighbourhood 

With the weather becoming sunny and warm, take advantage and get outside. Walk to a nearby park, or walk to a grocery store to buy your groceries. Leave the house once a day, even if it’s just for a few minutes and feel the sun on your skin. 

Read a book 

Or watch a show, or a movie. Read or watch something that makes you think, or that gets you motivated. Get immersed in a life that’s different than yours. Let your imagination go wild, and feel captivated by other stories. This helps take your mind off work once those working hours are over, and helps you see that there’s more to life than the little bundle of comfort you’ve put yourself in. 

Say yes to everything 

If a friend says let’s go for dinner, say yes. If your family wants to see you over the weekend, say yes. Don’t over analyze what you’re going to wear or if you’re in the mood to leave the house. Just leave the house. The best way to push ourselves out of our comfort zones is to block all voices inside our head and just say yes.