It’s fair to say the current situation has delivered us a test of resilience and adaptability in our routines and lifestyle.  Now that working from home is a reality for most around the world, we thought we’d share methods and techniques that can help you navigate the challenges of remote work. Read on to find your optimal productivity with tried and tested methods and tips for building healthy routines, cementing good habits and laying down boundaries from today.

Sacred Workspace 

When optimising your new home office set up, try to establish a physical and mental separation between where you work and live. This could be moving your work desk outside of your bedroom or keeping as few home-related items in your eyesight. Think Marie Kondo: a de-cluttered space for a de-cluttered mind. Place things you associate with productivity around you, such as checklists, motivational quotes and organisational notebooks. 

If you can, try and work close to a window with natural daylight. As well as aligning our circadian rhythm, natural light is proven to have positive effects on our mental and physical health. When daylight isn’t possible, use a softly lit desk lamp to avoid strain on the eyes, which can lead to fatigue and headaches.

You can also help to maintain an uplifting energy flow in your workspace with energy clearing herbs and mists. Try this Nirvana Mist infused with protective crystal pigment for deflecting stress. Certain crystals placed around your workspace or on your desk can also help increase focus and productivity. Use grounding Blue Kyanite to sink into a deep and peaceful workflow, Selenite for clarity and Black Tourmaline for absorbing electromagnetic radiation from interfering electronic devices.

Now that you have your perfect workspace set up, make sure to set out boundaries with your family or housemates to keep it your sacred space. Manage expectations with clear communication of when your working hours are, and when you are not to be distracted for that extremely urgent game of Minecraft.

New Routines 

Your alarm goes off, you roll out of bed and voila - you’re in the office. You’ll be forgiven if your proximity to work soon starts to fill you with dread. Our usual daily commute to work (whether it’s walking, driving or on public transport) serves its purpose of mentally preparing us for the day ahead - which the walk from your bed to the living room doesn’t quite do.

Cementing a new morning routine will get you ready for your day and also help with the mental separation between home and work. When creating your routine, start with something easy and enjoyable (we all know getting started is the hardest part), like making fresh coffee or eating a wholesome breakfast. From there you could do some light stretching, a meditation exercise for waking up the brain or a chapter of a book. Starting your day with good habits such as these will help to carry the momentum and positivity throughout your day.

Boundaries, Breaks & Balance

The three B’s are crucial to navigating your life and work at home. However (despite our rosy expectations of slow mornings, lunchtime yoga classes and punctual finishes) they go too easily out the window when it comes to working remotely. Set firm boundaries for yourself and refuse to waver on them. Carve out strict working hours that you can structure your home life around: get up at the same time, unplug at a specific time each evening and be strict with not looking at work on off days. If you’re unable to go to the gym, schedule in home workout sessions as if you were going to your usual class. Find out more tips on how to set boundaries here.

Finding yourself eating lunch in front of your computer now that your kitchen is in closer proximity? Scrolling through social media or news sites doesn’t give your brain the break it needs. Make sure you take the opportunity to get away from your workspace area for breaks. Increased oxygen to the brain is proven to improve cognitive performance, so get outside for plenty of walks and open the windows once in a while to circulate fresh air. And why not counteract the hours you spend hunched over the computer with regular stretching? Take advantage of being in the comfort of your own home and roll out your yoga or exercise mat out for intermittent stretching throughout the day.

One of our all-time productivity hacks is this one-minute mindfulness meditation that will help to reboot your focus when you find yourself drifting off. Simply close your eyes and follow the meditation whenever you find yourself reaching for your phone. You’ll soon find that these shorter, more mindful breaks give you better mental clarity and focus in your day.One all-important factor to maintaining balance when working from home is to wind down your day properly in order to recharge mental and physical batteries. Create a routine of rituals that help to relax you: cooking, reading or taking a long soak in the bath. Make sure to limit screen-time at least an hour before bedtime to guarantee a more peaceful slumber. Check out more tips for relaxing the body and mind that will help you reset and recover for the week.

Banish Distractions

Have you been receiving notifications of exponentially increased screen activity since working from home? Yup, guilty here also. Your habit of checking your phone throughout the day can take you down a slippery rabbit hole of memes and more memes. Avoid this all too familiar path by putting your phone on airplane mode as you work, or placing it in a different room completely. A study on productivity found that participants had higher focus and concentration the further away their phones were placed to the room they were working in. 

Once you’ve minimised distractions, schedule time for uninterrupted deep work. Yes those glorious hours where we find ourselves in a deep workflow state of optimal productivity. Everyone is different, so identify when you work best in the day and schedule these hours in for undisturbed work where you complete your most of your important tasks.

Now that you’re in the know, the most important thing you can do is maintain self-awareness. Be vigilant of unhealthy habits, and stop them before they spiral downward. Actively experiment with working styles and routines, and identify which make you most efficient and work best for you. And lastly remember the key to creating good habits is enjoyment, so practice gratitude, take the lessons that come with change and embrace the new lifestyle!