WFH HACKS
Tips for the work from homies, from the work from homies
So here we are, working from home. The delight of our own home. Your bed so near, no commute. In theory,
fantastic, sign me up. In practice, Struggle Street. Circling the drain. Spinning round and round like a half-dead
goldfish just waiting for the final pull. At FIELDS, we want better – for ourselves and yourselves – so we had
a chat with some work from homies who shared some tried and tested ways to get into, and stay in, a nice
groove. Here are their hacks to nailing the WFH life, because honestly… we could be here for a while.
NUMERO UNO: “Put on clothes. Real clothes.”
This was the top hit. Not pyjamas, not trackies. REAL clothes. Your mindset will change and you’ll feel ready to engage with your day. “I have to put
a bra on. Even if it hasn’t got underwire, I have to put one on or I can’t even pretend to do work.” More specifically, put on shoes, then take them off when you’re not working. Who knew free-balling footsies would limit productivity? As a closing ceremony for the grind, take those shoes off when you log off for the day.
Slap those suits on and placebo your way into an efficient mindset.
Make that work space *NICE*
Invest in your space. Be it your work space – “being in a shitty chair/table combo can mess you up” – or your living space, all this extra time indoors warrants some dollars being dropped. Erg chair? House plant? Shiny disco ball? “Set up your space to keep yourself as comfy” – and productive – “as possible.”
Walk it out
A no-brainer but something that, collectively, we somehow always need a reminder about. “Focussing on exercise has been huge for my mental health, I’ve been getting 10,000 steps every day, even if it’s just back and forth in my apartment listening to tunes.” The flood of serotonin and endorphins, increased blood flow, strength building – it works and we know it. Yoga, a neighbourhood jaunt, an online pilates class, a boogie in your living room – according to the people, mid-morning is best as “by the afternoon, a slumpy mood has set in”.
“Every morning I walk to a coffee shop that’s more than 15 minutes away during the time I’d usually commute.” Genius. Pure and simple. If you’re not separating that commute time out of your work day, you’ve gotta start! Listen to a podcast, walk around the block; or just sit in the sunshine and savour your coffee. That commute time isn’t automatically added to your work day, that’s your time. Use it. It’s precious.
Set clear boundaries
This says it best legends: distance makes the heart grow fonder. This differs person to person, but ensure that you have clear boundaries around your work life that are suited to you. “Have a designated work space and leave it at the end of the day.” No emails coming through to your phone, logging off at the same time you would leave the office, and the big boy: “don’t log on on weekends when you have nothing else to do”.
Learn a new card game, order something fun, sort out your undie draw, watch this duckling. Re-read your fave book series. Watch funnies on the interweb. Or maybe subscribe to something a bit more wholesome, here or here. Write a list of the things you usually like doing and see if you can adjust to suit these rascally restrictions.
If work is permeating into every facet of your existence, you are on the
dire straight and narrow to burnout, baby!
While you’re setting those boundaries, add some
ceremony to your day
“Physically close your laptop, turn off the light and walk out like you’re
leaving work.”
Check up on your mates
We are social creatures. Even the introverts. “Check in with work teammates socially, not just about work shit” and “book in informal chats! Booking in 30 minutes over lunch or for a coffee date will make you feel human!” These are normal everyday things that shouldn’t just dissolve out of office. Mental health crumbling, caffeine needs remaining: Text ‘r u ok’ to a pal.
STRUCTURE
“My non-negotiable is quiet time in the morning when I first wake up. No talking
to anyone else in my household. No TV. No music. When so much of my day is
filled with meetings and talk, the quiet time is bliss.”
This one is bang on, as is having “a good schedule”. Routine is necessary, people.. Make your bed and block out an hour for emails so they don’t distract you all day. “Use timers to structure short bursts of work, then reward yourself at the end,” and check out the Pomodoro Technique y’all,
it’ll help you get 👏🏼 it 👏🏼 done 👏🏼
Maybe make your to-do lists a little bit looser:
“I’m doing a weekly priority list rather than things I have to get done today.
It’s all about giving myself a little more grace and understanding that I’m not
in peak position right now!”
Treat yo’self
“Days I feel absolutely shit, honestly I just buy myself a treat… like getting a pizza without feeling bad about it.” This is what we’re here for. Guilt-free treats. The state of the world is a lot. We’ve got covid-anx and climate-anx plus all the normal anx that keeps us up at night. It’s treat time. You’ve bought massage guns and coffee machines – or maybe bright blue sunnies and freshly-made pasta – you’ve munched on unlimited snacks and sipped wines at lunch time (maybe keep this to Fridays, it’s a slippery slope). One locked-down actor in NYC knowingly shares this titbit: “it’s a good time to make your home cosy. I bought lots of new décor and stocked up the bar cart.”
REST
“I took this week off work. I needed a break from feeling guilty about not being
super productive while working from home, ya know? I wanted to sit on my couch and not constantly check my emails.”
Detaching from the idea that you’re always at work, because you literally LIVE at work now, is vital. Enjoy the down time. Book in some annual leave, get to bed early, commit to not checking your emails out of hours and try to live a little (in this weird new way of living we’ve got going).
Book in for a vax and remember that summer’s coming
“I keep reminding myself spring and summer are coming up, which gives me
something to look forward to, and I’m booked in for my vax which is a massive
relief. By summer, vax rates should be high enough for fun times.”
We all like fun. Vit D gets our blood pumping and our skin glowing. The promise of summer is almost as tasty as the reality. To get you in the mood, “set up outside and catch some rays” and create a playlist that delivers vibes (like this one we made you). Then book in for a jab. The constantly changing nature of the pandemic is hard on the head, but a high uptake of the vax and a dose of summer optimism is a good place to start.
Kris Andrew Small via Semi Permanent
The wisest of all and a person that champions positive social change and doing what’s right submitted this ‘hack’:
“I use gratitude overtly and deliberately to get by daily. If I’ve got food then
I’m ok! If I’ve got a roof over my head, a dead set bonus. I even have a job! That
I like to go to! Gratitude is part of my DNA but it can be learned and cultivated.
It never fails me.”
It’s been tough, will continue to be tough and will shift and change in ways we don’t know yet, but thinking of what you’re grateful for is never going to be a waste of time. Savour all the good, it’s delicious.
We’ve got those who are going on 18 months without ever meeting their co-workers, and those trying to manage junior staff. Those who found the adjustment hard and those who ran into trouble later. It comes in waves and all we can do is try to flow with it. Steal some of these hacks and turn your email notifications off. Book in for a vax and check in with your mates. Keep working from home in the best way you can, and remember that this won’t last forever. Honourable mention goes to this OT: “not a hack, but my boss brought their dramatic dog to work which has been nice”. With that, we wish dramatic dogs on your work days, from now until forever.
Words Grace MacKenzie
Responses Hard working legends that Grace knows
Check out the unstoppable Nat Verriest’s WFH tips
or procrastinate a lil bit more and follow us on the gram.
