5 Tips to Help You Stay Sane Working From Home

Working from home can seem like a dream come true. No daily commutes. No checking your phone to see if it’s 5 pm yet. And all the snacks in the house are yours for the taking.

If you’re new to the joys of remote work, this can be an exciting time. But it doesn’t take long for the shine to wear off and get replaced by the very real problems of trying to stay focused and productive when the lines between work and home are blurred.

We’ve put together our top tips on staying sane as you navigate the ups and downs of working from home.

1. Establish a daily routine

The downhill slide from presentable professional to someone who lives in their pajamas can happen fast.

Keeping to your regular before and after work routines can help. Set an alarm to ensure you’re not sleeping in, have a healthy breakfast, and get dressed. Routines help to set the scene for your workday, just like they do for a regular day at the office. After work, take time to unwind, exercise, and make sure you get a good night’s sleep.

2. Plan your work schedule

If you’re sharing a home with friends or family, make it clear when you’ll be working so you don’t get interrupted with constant distractions. Having set times where you work ensures that you’re focused and productive during those hours and that nothing gets overlooked during the day.

3. Set up your office space

No matter if you have your own office space or you’re working from a corner of the living room, it’s important to get your set up dialed in.

Psychologically, this gets your brain into work mode once you enter that space. Working from bed is often tempting, but if you do this every day you’ll find your productivity taking a dive, and your posture will suffer too.

To keep bad posture at bay, your office should have at minimum :

• A comfortable chair
• A table or desk at the right height for your monitor to be at eye level
• Good natural lighting if possible

Hunching over your laptop every day for hours while you work is not recommended!

4. Stay connected

Isolation is a problem for most people in a remote work environment. Tools like Slack and Zoom were created not just for productivity, but to help people stay in touch with each other. They’re like your remote water cooler that keeps you connected with your colleagues, family, and friends.

Zoom calls can end up being stressful if you’re doing a lot of meetings during the day. Especially if your delivery pizza habit is out of control and it’s hard to hide all those tell-tale boxes in the background. You can make this background mess disappear in a flash with custom video chat backgrounds for Zoom. There are even Snapchat-style filters that you can use to inject a much-needed dose of humor into your calls now and then.

5. Self-care

When the lines between home and work become blurred, it’s all too easy to forget about basic things like going outside, having fun, and remembering to eat properly.

If you’re running a business, especially if you have a team to manage or you’re working from home alone, that work to-do list can end up managing all of your waking hours if you let it.

Giving yourself permission to unplug and take a few hours off (or an entire day) is healthier for your body and mind than trying to be productive 24/7. Take time out to do the things you love, like:

• Walking the dog
• Going for a run
• Catching up with friends
• Perfecting your sourdough recipe

Scheduling in quality downtime, and taking it spontaneously when you can, is one of the best recipes for maintaining a healthy body and mind when you’re working from home.