Unconventional Tips for Winning at WFH
We're quite sure this doesn't need an intro, so here they are!
Do spend ages setting up a workspace
You’re gonna be here for a while, so your workspace, whether that be a proper desk in a space room (fancy!) or just a new corner of the sofa, needs to work for you. Allow room for a proper set up, make sure the sitting situation is comfortable, move a few plants and vases and candles around so you could stand on a chair and lean over it to take a super cute #WFH pic for Insta. Comfort is key to productivity (and by comfort we mean, the exact right balance of comfy and uncomfy, can’t be taking naps).
Talk to your plants
They need love, you need love, let's make this mutually beneficial (yep, still room for business jargon outside the office). Here’s your chance to remember to water them, tell them how luscious their foliage is (and pronounce it foliaaaaj) and tell them how proud you are that they have grown a new, teeny, tiny, baby leaf! Psychotherapy studies have found that being complimentary actually gives us, the compliment-giver, a happier and more optimistic outlook and makes us more self-confident and we could all do with a good dose of that right now.
If you’re isolating with someone else, you could try complimenting them but sometimes the plants believe you more easily.
Try Duolingo
The perfect educational work break exercise that could potentially lead to an amazing promotion somewhere exotic (when we can eventually leave this wee island of ours)! Think about it, at worst, you’re going to absolutely suck at Vietnamese or Scottish Gaelic and maybe have a small strop about that, at best you’ll be booking a holiday to your language destination the minute those planes are back in the sky. Somewhere in the middle we can promise you will learn the ultimate patience and perseverance.
Many studies suggest that learning a new language challenges the brain to maintain its many functions, including memory skills, concentration and focus, and reduces the risks of Alzheimer’s and dementia. Circling back to the patience and perseverance, tangible Duolingo results also include the power to continue ticking through the levels, even though some of the questions are pretty repetitive and the egg level thingys seem to unfairly crack randomly, meaning you have to go back and practice a previous level; and the perseverance to actually come back tomorrow because you ran out of “lives” at 9.41 this morning when you were ‘doing a bit of Duo’ and having elevenses.
Try to do the splits
You’d be surprised at how upsetting finding out just how inflexible you are is, so this tip is a great trick to get you stretching your body out, strengthening muscles and improving self-appreciation. Doing the splits, in whichever direction you find easiest, is also great for motor control and improving circulation - ideal! Set yourself the challenge of attempting every day and see how many days it takes to get you to the floor; future you is going to be so in control.
Once you’ve nailed it, you can probably risk taking calls while practicing too which makes for a great Instagram story!
Learn to make hummus
Guess this one is only for you lucky peeps who can get your hands on a tin of chickpeas these days, but we're serious when we say making hummus has both short-term and long-term benefits. Short-term you’ve got a tasty but healthy snack to feed the cravings you’ll get circa. every 17 minutes, and in the long-term, you are going to be saving cashhhh (and plastic!) on buying pots of hummus which are marked up circa. £17 by supermarkets.
There’s a great sense of joy in making something from scratch too, so now you have nothing else to do on your Sunday afternoons, bring on the hummus-making happiness for a week of healthy* hummus snacks!
*Only healthy if you do not consume 5 bags of tortilla chips with it.
Lastly, a friendly reminder of a few other things too:
It’s ok to not work out
It’s ok to eat more snacks (your body will tell you to stop when it’s had enough)
It’s ok for your screen time to go up a bit
It’s ok to walk aimlessly around your home after lunch, hoping for pm inspiration
It’s ok to call your mum, without any real purpose, at random times of the day
It’s ok to sit on the loo for an extra 5 to get away from the people you’re isolating with
It’s ok to feel weird/anxious/stressed as we adjust to this situation
It is NOT ok to hang out in groups, see your Nan, go to a holiday home with your mates, or breathe within 2 metres of anyone else.
Cheers to another 12 weeks at home!