Working from home and your mental health

We’ve all been working from home over the last year or so, but for me, this isn’t just a temporary thing, it’s been the way I work for 7 years and counting! How I manage my time at work is important to me but it’s been a process of trial and error to get it right. I won’t claim that I always get it right either, there are days when I feel the overwhelm creeping in when the brain fog tells me I’ve been at my computer too long, but to give yourself a break, a be kind to yourself when those feeling do creep in is part of keeping your mental health in check.

So here are my (not too exhaustive) tips for keeping a healthy mind while working from home.

1. Work in short bursts

   If I know I’ve got a really busy day ahead I swear by the Pomodoro Technique. The premise being that you work for 25 minutes at a stretch then take a 5-minute break. Repeat this 4 times and you can reward yourself with a longer break (hello lunchtime!) It stops my natural procrastination tendencies in their tracks and helps me to focus on my job.

2. Split up your to-do list

   I learned this genius technique from Sophie Thorne (click on her name to hear our episode) In one column have the jobs you have to get done today, in another column have the jobs that can wait until later. Already your day is halved! Yes, the second column can get a little out of control, but moving them slowly into the urgent column stops overwhelm in its tracks.

3. A Daily walk

   No matter how busy my day gets if I don’t get out for a walk in nature every day my mind suffers. It helps that I have a dog who begs for his daily sniff around the park! Sometimes I listen to a podcast, or audiobook but often just getting out with total quiet is great for your mind to not only process what you have just completed, but you also get those juices following for new ideas too. I get all my best ideas on my daily walks and have my phone to hand in case I need to jot anything down.

4. Find (and stick to)a dedicated workspace

   Now, this has been crucial for me - take yourself away from communal spaces. Working from the kitchen table is all well and good, but if the washing up is staring you in the face, you can suddenly feel that mental load take over. (ah, there’s washing in the sink, ah! the washing machine need emptying) You didn’t have those distractions in an office setting and you can get that at home if you find a space in the house away from everything.

5. Find a tribe of remote workers who get it

   I don’t know what I would do without my two fabulous virtual groups, The Inner Hub of Social Media Managers and my Sovereign Coaching group with Tamu Thomas, This way I have all my bases covered, both in my work life and in my personal mental wellbeing. Finding that tribe to work things through, both personally and professionally gives you that water cooler moment, a time to get advice and share the load of adulting.

6. Set boundaries with the family

   It’s never easy working from home when your partner is working from home too, especially when you work differently. Me and my husband have started having coffee breaks together so we can catch up with what we are both up to during the day. If I’m recording a podcast he knows not to have a call then for instance. I have started to very loudly announce (usually to the dog!) that I’m finishing work for the day, not only does this stop my work bleeding into the time I want to spend with the girls when they get home from school, but it also puts a full stop to my grafting tendencies.

7. I start my day early (like stupid early)

   Holy moly I talk about this on the podcast, a lot! It’s a 6 am start for me most days, sometimes I can push it to 5 am if I’ve got something I really want to focus on. Not only does that give me time to meditate, do a bit of journaling and have a hot cup of coffee, but I also have blissful hours worth of work before the house starts waking up. Now I know this is NOT for everyone, but there is a lot to be said about working when your brain is fully awake and switched on, for some, it’s working a night, but for me, it’s as the sun comes up.

   If, like me, you love a podcast while you walk, why not check out That One Thing! You can listen to my interviews with 20+ female entrepreneurs on an enormous variety of topics.