Written by: Phindile Le Bris Sithole-Spong
Getting up and working every day during a pandemic has brought up its own challenges. Whilst I have almost always worked from home, not being able to break from my daily routine by going to the shops or even meeting up with friends has made it almost impossible to self motivate. Especially when the line between home and work life are so blurred. Surprisingly though, my husband who has always worked in an office, has been one of my biggest inspirations on working from home. Not only because his style is completely different from mine. But also because he is good at being productive and self motivating 90% of the time. Here are some tips and tricks I have learnt from him, and figured out on my own.
- Get up and get dressed every morning. Whilst i must admit that I’ve always been a get up and work in my pajamas all day kind of girl. Watching my husband get up every morning, taking a shower and getting dressed as if he is going to the office has been a big inspiration. Whilst you can still find me mostly in sweats or pajamas. When I need that extra push, I like to get dressed up. This not only boosts my self confidence but helps keep me motivated.
- One of the big game changers for me in staying motivated has been working out. recently.I completed a 6 week program where I worked out about 5 days a week. The workouts varied from yoga to more high intensity workouts and pilates. This not only kept me mentally sane, but also gave me the boost of energy I needed. After almost two weeks off, I am about to start another program and commit to getting ly body moving again.
- As we live in an apartment in France with no real home office. Both my husband and I often find ourselves working where ever there is room. This can be the dining room, lounge or even sometimes the bedroom. Which often means that meal times and work time often bleed into each other. To remedy this we have set out designated meal times where we remove all work related stuff from the dining table and switch our phones off. This allows for some much needed family time but also a good break from work. We also try to ensure that we finish work at a certain time so that we don’t end up working around the clock.
- Whilst its great to have designated place to work. Changing up the scenery every once in a while is a must. Especially if you are in lock down and aren’t often going outside your home. Which is why we have a few work zones around the apartment.
- One of the biggest motivates to work has been seeing my husband work. This unintentional buddy system is a great way to stay motivated. If you live alone, try facetime a friend and work together virtually. This ensures you feel accountable to someone else and that you don’t feel stuck. It’s also great to have someone to have chats with throughout the day to break up the time.
