5 Tips For A Healthy & Productive Workflow
Whether you’re an entrepreneur who works from home always or your office life was uprooted when COVID-19 began. You’re probably struggling with the whole “work from home” situation. Home is supposed to be a happy oasis away from the stress of work and now it feels impossible to escape it. I don’t know about you, but I did not sign up to have stress as my quarantine bae. Here are some ways you can set boundaries with that work stress and find a productive workflow.
1. Create a designated work area
The one joy the pandemic brought everyone was the opportunity to work in your pajamas. With unbrushed hair. From bed. Every girl’s dream. As wrong as it feels to rid ourselves of this small joy, it’s important that we create a working environment that encourages productivity. Set yourself up at a desk or even the kitchen table. Bonus: get dressed. Sometimes it’s nice to be all dressed up with nowhere to go.
2. Know what you’re working on
Getting to cross something off your to-do list is always the best part of your day right? Just kidding. Kinda. Not only will creating a to-do list keep you on track for your day, but you’ll feel on fire after you get to check something off.
Pro tip: have big projects outlined with smaller baby steps so you can cross things off more frequently. Open laptop? Check. Cross it off. You’re doing great, sweetie.
3. Put your phone on airplane mode/do not disturb
Pretend you’re at the office and forbidden to look at your phone. You should be working— not scrolling IG, finding recipes on Pinterest, or drafting a text to your ex. You can scroll IG and think about food later. You cannot text your ex later. Text your bestie instead. Figure that shit out.
4. Use a timer on your phone
Anyone else put something in the microwave and race yourself on small tasks to see if you can finish before the microwave beeps? What a rush. Peak athleticism. Set a timer on your phone before you start a work task. If it’s a writing project, give yourself 15 minutes to write with no interruptions. No daydreaming. Keep your pen to paper for the whole time, even if it doesn’t make sense. You’ll make it make sense later— just get the process started. This is what editing is for.
5. Take breaks!
Literally schedule them in your day. They are important and you need to not budge on them. Take the time to just go outside for a walk. Maybe grab a snack. Chat with a friend for a bit on the phone. Physically move away from your work to distance yourself from it mentally. Even though it feels like stepping away from work for a bit is counter-productive, it will make you more productive in the long run because you won’t be burnt out.
What’s been helping you maintain a healthy and productive workflow while working from home? Share on social media and tag me @tyalexander on Instagram and @lovetyalexander on Twitter.
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