Take a beat and walk through some of these helpful notes from Maytal Phillips, the holistic life coach behind The Conciousness Edit. The work from home experience is endlessly improved with a few small tweaks. Above all, remember to show yourself a bit of grace in this unpredecented time… 

So you’re working from home and thinking: how did it come down to this? Zoom meetings, long grocery store lines, kids weaving their way into your workday, a Groundhog Day Bill Murray existence. It’s the new normal and we’re here to make sure you’re set up to maximize your life in all ways, especially around health. 

Below are a few quick tips on how to set up your environment to maximize health during this unprecedented time: 

Setting up Your Home to Maximize Health and Productivity

declutter your mind + set intentions

When we think of a space, we automatically jump to decluttering our home or fridge to make our environment shine. All of which is important and task number 1,286 you can add to your quarantine to-do list. But we often neglect our mental space which also needs decluttering. An easy way to see this is to think of our mindset when we start our day. We typically wake up and immediately start worrying about our to-do list, checking social media, looking at the news. Many of these actions are a part of what I like to call our “default” mode — the things we feel we need to do to feel good and in control.

The truth is that behind these actions, there is a conversation running the show that sounds something like “I can’t do this,” “I’m overwhelmed,” or “I’m not good enough to handle everything.” While it may seem like the truth, being honest about where we are and shifting our mindset paves the way to create positive changes and handle all we need to during this critical time. Creating an intention for the day can be as simple as jotting down a few words like “I’ve got this” or “I create my day” to remind you of that. 

Create a realistic schedule

Coming from that intention, create a realistic schedule and set up some health goals to keep you going throughout the week. Keep the goals small. If you want to lose weight during this period, that’s a lofty goal. Write down what it would take to just lose 5 pounds. It might be decreasing your caloric intake and healthy eating or exercising more, or both. From there, break down the goal into even smaller bite-size goals. Maybe it’s cooking a healthy recipe just once a day? Or meal planning for only three days? The key is to make the goal big enough that it’s new and exciting but simple enough that it doesn’t add a whole extra inconvenience to your day and week. 

Out of sight, out of mind

Being surrounded by delicious snacks all day at home adds to the challenge of eating healthfully while working from home. The good news is that it’s an easy fix! Next time you choose a grocery delivery or safely head to the grocery store, just don’t buy the unhealthy snacks–especially the ones that you quickly inhale and have little self-control around. You won’t notice they’re gone once you’re back at home. Place a bowl of different fruits in sight and spend a few minutes early in the week cutting up celery, carrots, and easy vegetable-centered snacks. In the midst of Zoom meetings and ongoing projects, you’ll have something quick to turn to and less temptation to dig for sugary or salty snacks. Also check out recipes for granola and a few other snacks like these. 

Set personal Reminders

Schedule reminders to drink water, stretch and walk, and snack at regular intervals throughout  the day at home. By keeping your blood sugar levels steady, you can keep your energy and mood up. You’ll also minimize cravings for those sweet and salty snacks. Water keeps your body hydrated and takes the strain off your digestive system further keeping those snacking habits at bay. 

Stay connected beyond work 

Set up a health accountability partner through your workplace. Remember those small goals? How about having a five minute check in with a co-worker to discuss how your daily goal went? It’s a great way to keep yourself accountable, aligned with what you’re up to, and socially connected. You can also share recipes with your co-workers when you find something you love!

Having to work from home is a skill many of us are slowly adjusting to. Being able to adapt and create new habits will you not only survive but thrive from this experience!

Getting stircrazy? We get it! Here are a few tips our team loves.