From an Ad Agency Gal
So yes, many of us have pretty much adapted to the new norm of ‘working from home’. Online meetings, buttoned up shirts and lounging pants, the odd 15 min power naps and not to forget the regular visits to the fridge, they all seem to sum it up pretty well, right!?
It has its perks for sure; the flexibility, occasional puppy rub in-between zoom calls, the quick jump in the pool to cool down, more hours in the day thanks to skipping traffic, access to all the goodies in the cupboard and most importantly safety, in a pandemic – but, with that has come its challenges – isolation, loneliness and well, lack of boundaries!
The problem with ‘boundaries’ is they are so often overlooked, pretty much neglected! Work-life balance becomes a notion and not a practice and ‘work’ can easily seep into life making things all a little hazy!
There is no doubt, that many of us are to blame for this but in order to be our productive healthy selves, we need to put some ‘healthy’ boundaries in place to avoid the dreaded ‘work from home burnout’ everyone is talking about!
So what’s the deal and how do you get this right?
Have a dedicated work space where all ‘office things’ live.
You have your cute pens with the pink fluff in the pen holder you bought at Typo, or the unicorn stapler you shouldn’t actually have, because paper kills trees, or that cute little chair that helps you think every time you take a twirl on it. And yes, I get that some of us, like to move around the house, and by all means – do it, but try have a consistent place in your home that screams OFFICE where there is a clear separation to the rest of your home!
Remote working doesn’t always mean ‘home’ working.
You can get lonely sometimes, so go and have a cuppa somewhere and work from there – take your sanitizer and your mask and it’s a vibe!
Have a dedicated lunch break.
Whether you’re going to become a chef for the next hour or clicking on the Ubereats Special, make it your time!
Set your hours and do that ‘yoga’.
Whatever helps de-stress, make sure it is top priority. We all have work to do and yes, sometimes the industry requires late nights and that’s OK, but make sure you establish those boundaries and balance ‘life time’ in the mix.
Put some clothes on please.
Sometimes it’s easy to just roll out of bed and into that chair and get on with it. Don’t do it – put that lipstick on and wear that cute little blouse you got. You need to feel good and also, feel refreshed!
Take leave.
It will help you heal and rejuvenate your mental and physical wellbeing. We all need time out once in a while.
Then lastly, allow yourself to feel.
We are living in a pandemic, the life we knew has become ‘fuzzy’ – it’s scary and overwhelming but MAKE IT something to remember. I’d say, we have adapted pretty well and some days are better than others! So let me leave you with the famous words of JAW Design; MAKE SOMETHING, make it special and make it work for you!
You owe it to yourself to be gentle with yourself.
We are after all, only human!
By Monique De Ascensao
JAW Design