Hey beauty.
What a month this has been, only just 6 days into it. Can you even believe 2020 is less than 25 days away?!? We are hitting an entirely new decade and I could not be more excited for what’s to come. I am most excited about my flourishing jewelry business, this month has been so good to me, especially the incredible holiday shopping markets I have gotten to be a part of. I love connecting with some many beautiful souls.
Here’s the crazy thing. I have 2 desks at home. Literally 2 working spaces. I need one for my jewelry making and one for my everyday blogging, podcasting, bills, note writing, etc. A very large portion of our home is taken up by my desks.
It really had me thinking about how hard is it to have a working space at home and I really would love to have an actual office to get out and go to. The luxury of working from home seems attractive but honestly, it takes up a lot of energy and space. It’s important to not let your daily life and your work intertwine. It was fine for me when I lived alone but now with my little family, I feel like my work things are overpowering our sacred space.
In an effort to keep focused and flourishing, I have really had to be mindful about how I spend my time and my attention, how to not let work take over and how to not get distracted when I am choosing to work. So that I’m not finishing up random things I forgot to do when my boys are home, which totally sucks the life and energy out of our family time.
5 HEALTHY HABITS TO IMPLEMENT WHEN WORKING AT HOME:
TIME BATCHING: When you work from home, anything and everything can distract you from laundry to dishes to people walking in and out. So, read up on how to do your time batching. The first thing I suggest is getting yourself a timer (do NOT use your phone) , you need a true compass to help you focus on one thing at a time. A cute little kitchen timer provides you time increments of 5 minutes to help you keep from getting distracted so easily and its cute too. Just think about it, when you make yourself lunch and eat at your desk, are you enjoying what you eat? Does that serve you? Or are you really getting things done at work while you’re focused on feeding yourself? Probably not. Set a timer for 30 or 45 min (of whatever you choose) and cook your food, eat it slowly, enjoy it, etc. Use this time wisely and you will feel more centered as you return to work after you are done.
TIME LOGGING: It’s just as important to do time logging too. Time logging is writing down exactly how you spend your day in a daily planner. Have you ever written down exactly how you spend your day and see what you actually do? The results for me are always astounding. Grab yourself a daily notebook, something that is lined with the times in the day from 6 am to at least 6 or 7 pm, I love this one. Write down exactly how you spend your day. Then see what you spent the most time actually doing. I will bet you, you’ll find some sort of wasted time sucker that can help you implement something else. For example, one time I realized that I scrolled instagram for over 25 minutes when I was supposed to be responding to emails. Something that small can add up over the course of a day to something like 3 hours. What could you be doing for 3 hours instead of scrolling on instagram?………………………let that sink in for a minute. Similarly, when people log the food they eat, they can use that information to make better decisions. It’s a TOTAL ADDED BENEFIT to your life. Try it, see if it works for you.
NATURAL LIGHT: You would not believe the health risks associated with fluorescent lighting, especially while you work. Natural light near your desk can help improve your sight, boost your vitamin D, boosts productivity and benefits your natural sleep patterns. A study conducted by Northwestern Medicine and the University of Illinois concluded that workers exposed to natural light sleep longer and better (at home, and not at their desks) than those who aren’t exposed to natural light. Those working next to windows receive 176 percent more white light exposure than do their ashen counterparts. That translates to 46 minutes of extra sleep. Who couldn’t use extra sleep?
MOVEMENT: Deep breaths and stretching have been absolutely invaluable to me when working from home. When you get overwhelmed by all the things piling up, get away from your desk, grab your pink yoga mat and do some of your favorite stretches poses (downward dog and cat/cow are my favorites). If something doesn’t go your way and you feel a lack of control, you could just use the 4-7-8 anxiety fighting breathing technique (my go-to) to help you get back on track. Being at home while working requires that much more physical support than being outside and in the world. Movement, gets your blood moving. Breathing, gets the oxygen flowing smoother through the body. This combination only amplifies your creativity and focus. It’s an incredible combination to apply when working at home and best of all, its FREE!
ORGANIZE, ORGANIZE, ORGANIZE: This one shouldn’t be a shock and it really is just common sense. I’d like to also add that being organized is a BIG time saver. Like, when you know where everything is, you won’t waste ANY amount of time on something so silly as looking for stamps, am I right? Paper is a huge home wrecker, especially on the desk. Be sure to sort the mail, throw away paper and keep the top of your desk clean and organized. Especially the drawers, get a drawer organizer for all of your supplies. Clean out your pen cup, keep all your pencils sharpened, throw away outdated calendars, keep extra ink for your printers, always clear the trash bin. All of these simple tasks will transform the mind space that you bring to your work. You want your mind to be clear and free when you go to your desk and when things are organized and clean your mind will mimic its environment. Be aware that how your environment feels energy , is the energy that your work will give to others. So for me, when I make jewelry, write a blog post, record a podcast, the energy transfers through those mediums. If i want what I put out into the world to be life changing and impactful, it needs to come from a clear, high vibe work environment (especially from home) Want to learn more about creating a High Vibe Home, don’t miss my workshop.
I hope these tips really resonated with you. If you liked this post, you will love this one and this one too. And for more inspiration, join the Blissful Living Lounge.
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