When we started working from home to quarantine, many of us floundered. We scraped together makeshift desks or made exorbitant purchases through Ikea to make an office we could actually stand to look at 24/7. Then, if we were able to, we settled into a day in and day out routine of work, home, work, home. It’s easy to get involved in an endless cycle of work. You start asking yourself, “did I take a break?” or “have I gotten out of this chair in the last 4 hours?” If you answered these questions with a no, you need to start making some time for yourself.
Set An Alarm
If you are forgetful, you may need a reminder to get up and move your body every 20 minutes. Set an alarm and every time it goes off, take a quick minute to get the blood pumping.
Actually Take Your Breaks
There are rights that allow for breaks in this country. Take them. Don’t go four hours before taking a break, there is a legal reason that breaks are supposed to be taken within a certain amount of time and just because nobody tells you to, you still need to do them.
Be Firm With Your Work Times
If you have said that you are only going to work eight hours a day, you need to honor that. Don’t check your Slack or email at 9 pm and respond to something. You need to rest and decompress away from work, whether or not your computer is in the same room. Checking messages and responding to them violates your rest period.
If you are not taking the time to separate yourself from work, you are doing both your mind and body a disservice. Make sure you take some time for yourself when working from home so you can be healthy in body, mind, and spirit.
Photo by Brina Blum on Unsplash