Quite alot has happened since my last blog on the first day of spring! Since then, we have been in quarantine here in Philadelphia due to the coronavirus and we are currently in the middle of Week 4. The first week of the quarantine was definitely spent trying to figure out a routine and what worked best for me. It honestly took time for me to get into a routine and honestly, what works for everyone will be different. But I just wanted to share with you all what’s been working for me and I would love to hear from all of you on what’s been working and how everyone is holding up (comment below!!).
I also created an imagine that you can pin with an example of my Monday-Friday schedule! It’s so important to have a routine. For me, it brings me mental clarity and I find myself being so much more productive. I am able to get everything that I need to done and have time for hobbies and hanging out with my hubby (it’s his birthday today by the way!)
For those of you that are new here, I do have a corporate full time job in Finance with a huge company located in Philadelphia so figuring out how to work from home without being distracted was crucial for me. The mistake that I made initially in the first few days is I would sit the kitchen on our kitchen island and literally be snacking all day. So once I moved my laptop and files into our home office I was finding that I was wayy more productive and snacking less (double win!).
How is everyone holding up? What things are you doing to stay productive?
Five Tips for Working From Home During Quarantine
Create a Schedule Having a schedule is soo important! If you’re like me and get distracted easily, it’s much more time manageable to get things done if you have a schedule that you can adhere too! Usually at the end of each day I will make a schedule for the next day. Similar to the image above (make sure to pin it and refer back!)
Get Dressed I find that when I am dressed I am so much more productive! So if you’re like me, change out of your pj’s and into “work attire.” On days where I workout at lunch time I make sure to brush my teeth and wash my face first thing in the morning and change out of my pj’s!
Limit Distractions It’s so easy to get distracted especially if you don’t have a good set up. What worked for me (and I learned this the hard way on the first few days) was to stop sitting at the kitchen island and infront of the tv. I set up my home office and it’s been working great because there are minimal distractions. You’ll find that you’re so much more productive and can get things done at a much faster pace. For me, this means I get to spend my free time doing other things that I enjoy!
Take a Break It’s soo easy to get lost in what you’re doing. I like to take a break half way during the day which is why I workout during my lunch time. I’ve found some amazing 30 minute HITT Cardio YouTube videos that have been working pretty great for me and I know alot of gyms are doing virtual classes! I highly recommend these two workouts from YouTube: 30 Minute HITT Cardio and this 30 Minute HITT Cardio with Abs. Other things you can do is to take a walk and get some fresh air especially if it’s a nice day outside! Make sure you get up and stretch every hour.
Set Rules/Boundaries Living with another person can also be very distracting. Make sure to set some ground rules and boundaries with your partner. What works for me is that I shut my door if I am working on an important deadline or if I am on a work related phone call. I sit in the office and my husband uses the downstairs space to do his work.