Wellbeing Wednesday: Three remote working lifehacks to help you thrive

Jennifer Watkiss from Unipart International appeared on the latest Grapevine episode sharing her tips for people working from home for the first time.

Having worked remotely most of her career, Jennifer was interviewed as part of Unipart’s Working From Home survey results (watch the item below).

In this post she shares simple advice for more effective remote working.

Now it looks like working from home is here to stay for the foreseeable future for a large number of people who didn’t expect it, I wanted to share three lesser-known hacks for those who are settling into the new normal and getting into this for the long term.

Whether it was 15 minutes or 50, you might not have realized how much you use the daily commute to shift your mind’s focus from home to work and back again at the beginning and end of the day.

Now you’re not going into the office much, or at all, missing that mental break can lead to feeling a bit unmoored. So fake it!

Take 15 or 20 minutes in the mornings to go for a walk or cycle ride around your neighborhood, you could even stop for a takeaway coffee on the way if that’s what you used to do or it sounds appealing, and use the time to get into a work mindset. The same can work in reverse at the end of your day, if you need some time to unwind or separate from the job before returning 'home'. 

Back in the pre-covid times I would often get a creative boost by switching up where I was working.

I’d go to a cafe or co-working space for the day, and the different environment was enough to stimulate my brain to get past any mental block and make some forward progress on anything particularly thorny.

Now that’s a lot more difficult to do, but there are ways to replicate it at home with a bit of inventive thinking. Can you work in a different room/space for a day? Turn your table or desk around to face another direction? Hang some different artwork? Can you set up a standing workstation so if you can’t shift your space, you can at least change your body position? Anything that makes your workstation and therefore your body feel a bit different while you work (while still ensuring you’re protecting your ergonomics!) will help you flex those literal and figurative growth and adaptivity muscles.  

If you’re one of the many colleagues trying to work from home while also managing having children unexpectedly home - solidarity! Mine are four and nine, so still need quite a lot of help and attention when it comes to care and online school.

Having them home for so long has been the biggest reminder these aren't normal times. I wish I could say more experience working from home has made juggling work and home school and childcare easier, but I don’t think there is an easy way through that one. 

I’ve found the key to maintaining productivity - and at least some semblance of sanity - has been some very careful time blocking. If you can manage it, carve out an hour of time where everyone in the house agrees you won’t be bothered. Set yourself up somewhere as private as you can manage (behind a closing door of some sort is ideal). Turn off your email and your phone, and use the time for some deep, focused work. You might find it surprising how much you can get done in those blocks! 

And then along the same lines, when it’s time to shut down for the day, make sure you’re truly disconnecting from work. It’s very easy when work and home are in the same place to end up letting those lines blur. Just checking in on “one small thing” after hours can easily lead to spending a lot of extra time chasing the flow of tasks, and you never truly disconnect.

By making sure your time off is exactly that, and being purposeful about shutting things off and getting away from your workstation (whether that’s closing a door behind you, or just closing your laptop and putting it out of sight) you give your mind a chance to reset and rejuvenate before you leap back in.

There’s a reason we all get our best ideas in places like the car or the shower - because we’re free to let our minds rest and wander. Don’t forget to give yours the opportunity to do just that.

Uncertainty around the pandemic means we will very likely be juggling a rapidly-changing workplace and home-life environment for a long time.

Remaining adaptable and flexible, while keeping laser-focused on your core priorities, are going to be the key to meeting your home and work responsibilities, and maintaining your mental health.

Working from home, even under more usual circumstances, requires a period of adjustment. Keep trying new things when it comes to how you manage your individual situation, until you find the mix that works best for you. There are lots of resources for support on Lifeworks, and remember to reach out to your colleagues or line manager if you could use a little help. Good luck! 

Our Employee Assistance Provider called LifeWorks, has a wide range of resources that can help to support you, and up to five members of your family, at this time.

If you are struggling, you can get free, confidential support from independent caring counsellors 24/7, via the phone number on 0800 169 1920 or through unipart.lifeworks.com or the LifeWorks mobile app. 

If you don't already have a log in, find out more about how to sign up here.