Tips For Working From Home

Hello hello my dearest ones! How goes it, out there in the weird, wild world? 

I've been lucky enough to secure a job working from home. I've been waiting for this job for a while and I am delighted to have gotten it, and be so happy in a role. It is certainly a nice change of pace. 

The best bit of my new job is that for the moment, we are all of us in the company, working from home. I count it high among the number of blessings I've got in my life right now. Not having to risk my health or the health of my family on public transport, or working in a public-facing role is quite the luxury. 

I've noticed though, that the learning curve of working from home is steep enough - it's got so many perks, but one of the pitfalls can be the lack of a defined routine. So, with that in mind I'm going to go through some of the things that I've learned that make it much easier to go from the bedroom to the desk (whatever that looks like for you, no judgement if you're working from the sofa!) with some level of ease. 

1. Get Dressed. 

I know, I know, it's so easy to just roll out of bed, grab a coffee and just get straight down to it, but it's a bad habit to slip into. Get up, get dressed (even if that looks like putting on track pants and a tshirt) and make the mental switch from down-time to get-down-to-business time. For me, I wear some kind of gym leggings or track pants, a nice t-shirt or top and I feel very smug that no matter how good I look or what I'm wearing in the viewfinder of a Zoom call, I've got my Ugg slippers on! 

I work for a company where it's totally acceptable to be in a hoody or no makeup on the daily Zoom calls, but I still try to look somewhat put together. It helps. I promise. Though, in saying all that, how will we ever revert back to officewear?

2. Create A Workspace - if you can.

When I got this job, for the first week or ten days, the space I was working in wasn't conducive to an efficient and productive working space. So, over the weekend I took initiative and I got a new set of shelves that coordinate with my desk, and I completely overhauled my working area. Now, I feel like I've got a designated space to sit down, do my job and do it well! I've got my Mac on a stand, a widescreen monitor, my keyboard and mouse, notepad and my beloved Hufflepuff coaster where my ever-present mug of coffee lives. 

3. Draw Your Boundaries - and Respect Them!

For me this looks like getting up early, maybe fitting in a run of some kind, coming home and getting ready for my day. Before I sit down to work I make sure to do two things: make a cup of tea or coffee, and go to the loo. Here's the thing - sitting on a two hour Zoom call is torture if you've the pressing need to pee but you can't get up to leave.  

When it's time for lunch or between calls, grab something to eat. And for the love of God, don't take it al desko!! Take time for yourself just like you would if you were in the office. Take your time, even if it's only 30 minutes, and don't worry about your email inbox - it will keep. 

Other things that help are, if like me, you've a few things to log into in the mornings, bookmark those pages and organise them in a folder on your bookmarks bar. I've got a dozen things book marked, from tools to spreadsheets, and it's all in a folder denoted only by the initials of the company I work for. Likewise, on my desktop, I've a folder sitting there with PDF's and so on that I've got saved, once again labelled with the initials of my work. 

When you finish up for the day close every single work-related tab and don't think of them again til the morning. One of the hardest things about working from home is that the line between your job and your private life is blurred. If you can close your laptop and put it in a drawer, close the spare room door, whatever the case may be, do so. Create a visual barrier and respect it. 

4. Time Off Is Just That - Time. Off. 

Please for the love of all that is good in the world, don't push your work email to your phone. Just do not do it. Mute the group chat on WhatsApp. Remember that you are not obligated to your work outside of your working hours. Of course, it's good to do your employer a solid, and of course if you work for yourself, you've got to factor in the grind, but every single person in this world is entitled to a break and that, my dear reader, includes you. If you go for a run, go for a run. If you take a week off to hike the Wild Atlantic Way, just turn on your "out of office" and don't pay it a second thought. If something happens and you're needed, you'll be contacted, otherwise, just enjoy your time off. 

5. Recognise How Lucky You Are 

This probably comes off preachy, but you should take a moment every day to recognise how awesome it is in these times to be able to work remotely, to work from home. So many people are out in the world, our healthcare workers, frontline workers, people in the service industry. You are so lucky that you can sit down in your comfy warm house, with your slippers on and keep your job. 

Up until I started in this position, I hadn't been to work in sixteen weeks. That's insane. Now, I'm earning my money, making a difference in a company who value me and I feel blessed every day to be in this position. I try to show appreciation for everything in my life, from people to things, and that doesn't change just because I'm working from home. Working from home means I get to hang out with my family more, I can go for a run on almost no notice, I have gotten to hang out with my new baby nephew and best of all, the hours I keep are in line with my peers now, so I've all the time in the world over weekends to see them should restrictions allow! 

So there you have it, lovely folks of t'internet! Some tips for Working From Home! 

If you have any working from home tips, let me know in the comments. 

<3 

Amy

A [Realistic] Day in my Diet and Exercise Routine [Covid Edition]

Since I've been eating clean again, training (at home, sadly, I'll be delighted when the gyms reopen) and getting back on a decent routine, I thought it might be fun to share an average day with you.

Before we get into it, I just want to note that my mentality is to favour a morning workout over an evening workout, but if that works for you, go for it. We are all doing our best, and that's what matters. While I'm here, I want to say that just becuase this is how I'm chosing to spend my time during this awful moment in history, I am not trying to shame anyone for coping in whatever way they see fit. This is my outlet and my distraction. 

Every day starts the night before, when I lay out a bottle of water, my workout clothes for the day (if it's a workout day, that is) and put my tech on charge. That means my phone, my watch and my headphones! If they're ready to roll, then I will be much more likely to just get up and at it. 

I've had an alarm set for every day since lockdown began, for 8am. Now, I don't always get up when that alarm chimes, but I try to. 

Once I'm up, I put on that workout gear I've laid out, lace my trusty Asics, put my hair up tightly, and get to it. I try to get an hour of Chloe Ting workouts in, and the days rotate based on the challenge day. Once that is done, a big glass of water and then I try to get out for a run or a cycle. If I go out cycling it's usually because I have errands to run in the village, and usually that entails groceries of some kind. I switch up the running routes I take once I get to the top of my road, and from there I just run. As for what I'm listening to on my runs, I've a running playlist that I am always adding and removing songs from on Spotify, or a good true crime podcast, like True Crime All The Time. 

Because I'm doing intermittent fasting, when I get home, I just have a pint of water, and get ready for my day as normal. I use Fushi Shampoo, Conditioner, and Body Wash that I get in my local zero-waste shop. As soon as I'm dressed, I make a coffee with almond milk and get to preparing my breakfast. For me, with I.F, breakfast is at 12pm. If I'm ahead of myself time-wise, I'll eat at 11am, it's not a big deal really. 

Breakfast:

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100g Glenisk Natural Strained Protein Yogurt, 6 sliced strawberries, a sliced banana and a tablespoon of honey. Coffee with almond milk. 

Lunch: 

Egg-white omelette filled with 2 slices of turkey breast, two tablespoons of mature cheddar cheese with steamed vegetables and a coffee. I try to get a bottle of water into me also. 

Dinner: 

Chicken breast (usually rubbed with some kind of spice, like garam masala and garlic) a half a stuffed pepper from Supervalu (the stuffing is pictured, but the pepper disintegrated), and some veg. 

This is usually a one tray dish. I like things to be easy to clean up and as efficient as possible. Sometimes, I make a second chicken breast and use it in place of turkey in the next days omelette, and other days I will have fillet steak instead of chicken. 

Snacks:

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love snacks. I still snack, just a bit better than I used to. Usually in the evening, just before 8pm (which is when I start fasting again, I'm doing the 16:8 routine) I will have a bowl of cereal, either All Bran for a kick of fibre, or Special K for something a touch sweeter. I use unsweetened Alpro Almond Milk either way. Honestly, it's actually not as boring as it sounds, and it leaves me feeling full for the evening, which means I'm less likely to dip into a bag of Haribo until it's cheat day time! 

I try to get a walk in during the evenings, just a slow, leisurely walk with my friend or my niece and her dog, sometimes I'll just go alone and get some breathing space if it's been a day, but I think, like most of us, the new normal is Skype, Zoom, Google Meet and so forth. So I do try to get a video call in with various pals, ideally every other evening. Either way I try to drink another bottle of water and put myself to bed around 11pm. 

That's my average day of diet and fitness, pandemic edition. 

I hope it's been even vaguely interesting, and if you want to share your thoughts, tips or what you've been doing to keep sane during covid, please comment and let me know! <3 

If you want to follow my progress thus far and in the future, follow my instagram, @red_lips_red_hair 

xoxo

Amy