How To Stay Sane (& Productive) When Working From Home

Happy Monday, Baby2Body fam! Just in case you needed a reminder of what day it was, because we find it's getting harder and harder to keep track...

Many of us are coming into our second (or third...) week of working from home and adjusting to a very different daily reality, and that can make it so difficult to maintain your focus, productivity, and... your sanity. And with the external stress of constant news bombardment, it's a challenge to stay focused.

Here at Baby2Body our team is also embracing new WFH realities (or trying to!), and we're staying busier than ever bringing you as much new health and wellness guidance across our app and social channels. We feel so fortunate that we're able to that, but we feel your pain in navigating these unfamiliar working days. But our very own VP of Content Strategy has been doing the work from home gig for 3 years now as part of our US-based operations -- so she's sharing her top 5 tips on how to stay sane (and still productive) when you're working from home.

We know not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to continue their work from home in these uncertain times, and many of you are also dealing with the added complexity of working remotely while keeping your kids entertained (and educated) as they're out of school or childcare.We want you to know we see you too, and ultimately, we hope a few of these tips might help you navigate whatever changing routine you're working through right now, too. Xx

5 Tips for Staying Sane & Productive When Working from Home

1. Create Boundaries

Probably the most important tip: create clear boundaries between your personal life and your work life.

Commuting can definitely be #theworst, but it does give your brain that needed transition time between being at work and being at home. When you lose the commute, it's easy to lose that separation. Then you find yourself checking emails before you've even had a sip of coffee (dangerous) and picking work back up after dinner. And somehow you're not doing more work, but you're just working all the time. When those lines get blurred you get burnt out, so don't be afraid to set those boundaries for yourself.

2. Designate Your Space

While having your own home office is undeniably nice, it's not necessary. But it's still a really good idea to keep your workspace in one specific location.

Sticking with the idea of boundaries, it's really helpful to designate a location in your home where you'll do the majority of your work. If possible, try keeping your workspace separate from other locations you'd associate with non-work activities (i.e. your kitchen table or bedroom). It will help you create a temporary work environment that feels more controlled and organized -- and when you're there it's also a signal to the rest of your household that you're busy at your job. (Not guaranteed to work with kids... but worth a shot).

3. Share the Load

Are you figuring out your WFH setup while your partner is figuring their's out as well? It's a balancing act for sure. Sharing your household responsibilities is more important than ever.

If you and your partner are now both working out of your home, it might be time to bust out a chore chart or have a serious chat about household responsibilities and splitting things evenly. Trading off on who makes breakfast or dinner, splitting work hours so one of you can be with the kids at all times, or switching off on who gets to use desk space (if you only have one) can help set expectations.

4. Record your accomplishments

This isn't about making to-do lists, it's about keeping a 'got-it-done' list! Visualizing your productivity and understanding when (or how) you work best from home can increase feelings of self-efficacy.

When you're in an office or any shared space with your coworkers, you're naturally holding each other accountable just by being there, it's not really something you have to think about. But when you're WFH that accountability is all up to you. Mapping your productivity by listing out the things you do get done each day will help you see what you've accomplished (and celebrate it!) and then share that back with your team as well.

5. Get Fresh Air*

*Safely, of course. Even as we're all self-isolating, fresh air and sunshine is vital to our physical and mental wellbeing.

You know when your eyes start to go blurry and all productivity goes out the door? Yeah, we're not meant to stare at screens for hours on end, and we're also not built to be inside all the time. Of course we're all trying to limit our time in public as much as possible, but getting a bit of fresh air and sunshine is critical to so many aspects of our health. We're also not built to be productive for 8 straight hours a day, so schedule in some fresh air breaks or step away from your desk for 15 minutes when you feel your productivity slipping for a quick workout or some screen-free time.

What's helping you adjust to new routines? We'd love for you to share in the comments below!