My tips for working at home

By Cheyanne Lemaire, April 2 2020—

It’s hard enough with social distancing and isolation during these times, and working at home only makes it harder. With so many distractions and temptations to just relax it can be stressful trying to put priorities together and setting plans to achieve your goals. Here are some simple tips to help you set those priorities and kick your courses or your work in the butt! 

Scheduling:

The most important thing is to have a schedule. Planning ahead is always best. I like to sit down for an hour every Sunday evening and plan out appointments, course work, chores and the things I would like to do just to keep my brain thinking positively. Setting up a routine around planning your week is really helpful too. One thing I really like to do is colour code tasks such as different courses, exercise, chores, activities and so on. Writing to-do lists along with a schedule is beneficial as well. Not only does a list give a visual reminder but also allows you to get what’s needed done if there are any interruptions in your schedule. 

Creating a space:

Secondly, a helpful tool is creating a study space that works for you. Picking an area with good sunlight, little to no distractions, and everything you need already in place will help loads. It will give you peace in allowing yourself to concentrate on your work, and deters any distractions like television or other people. A good tip that I use is putting my phone and laptop on ‘do not disturb’ mode. This helps me stay focused on my tasks rather than being tempted to check my notifications. 

Staying healthy: 

Exercising every now and then is very important. It is really easy to get attached to unhealthy habits when you are sitting down most of the day. Blood can pool in areas of the body and this could cause back aches or worse conditions. This is the worst time to get any conditions that can hurt your body right now, so it’s best to stay active. Though this can be difficult when limited in the places you can go and needing the weather to be good to be outdoors. Take small walks around your community or even down the block. Doing push-ups or squats every few hours is helpful to keep the blood flowing. 

Sleeping and rest: 

Regulating your sleep habits as if you’re still at work or school is going to work wonders. This is not summer vacation, no matter how easy it is to feel that way. Our responsibilities are still needing our attention and it is our duty to attend to them. Going to sleep at a reasonable time and not sleeping in during the week is strongly encouraged. Because I tend to get mentally exhausted during the week, I tend to take a break during the day to do some self-care and reset my energy. Instead of the Monday to Friday homework in the evening I switch it to a weekend afternoon and leave the other day to relax. Sleep is definitely very important right now and getting the suggested eight hours is best for your health. 

There are many helpful tools available to keep you on track for success and staying healthy. This is a great time to also build some new habits and skills to keep you entertained. Because it is super easy to be lazy and unproductive, keeping in mind what your priorities are, scheduling ahead, staying healthy and creating a quiet space to focus works wonders. You can always do what you would like and I hope these tips help build a solid foundation to your struggles of working from home. Just a reminder to stay safe and healthy as well! 

This article is part of our Opinions section and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Gauntlet’s editorial board.