Ditching the daily commute and working from home in your jammies was a dream everyone had. Now with us being in the middle of a global pandemic, the dream has come true. That is until the realization hits that working from home in isolation isn’t quite what we thought it would be. There is no working from a park bench, coffee shop, or far off destination, and after being in quarantine for who knows how many weeks people are struggling with a loss of work productivity and loneliness.
To help you remain emotionally healthy during this time of isolation here are some tips to help increase your productivity and combat loneliness while you continue to work from home.
Create / Maintain A Routine
Routines are important because since we cannot control the situation around us we can still somewhat control a piece of our lives. So if your routine before the pandemic was to wake up at 5:30 a.m. to work out before heading to the office by 9 a.m., keep doing that. Set your alarm and either do some in-home stretching, yoga, or meditation. The weather is also getting warmer so you can take a walk or run around your block or neighborhood before you log onto work for the day. Don’t forget your mask.
To help keep to your routine use that planner you purchased but never used. I’m sorry to call you out on that but you know it’s true. Utilizing your planner will provide structure in your life by helping you stay on top of work projects, personal tasks, as well as important dates.
Take Breaks
Please don’t sit in front of the computer all day long like some sort of zombie. That type of work habit is unhealthy and unproductive. According to a 2018 Forbes article, “Breaks are essential in helping employees de-stress and re-charge for the rest of the workday.” It also stated, “Energy isn’t unlimited, and just as athletes have halftime to rest during a game, employees need to rest so they can do their best work.” That said, I recommend setting an alarm every 1.5 to 2 hours as a reminder to take a break. Use that time to do a simple stretch routine at your desk, take a nap, or even go for a stroll outside. The point is to give your mind a rest so that you can recharge it and go back to work with energy and clarity.
Maintain Good Eye Health
Taking breaks isn’t just for our mental and physical health, it also benefits our eye health. Spending prolonged periods of time looking at our screens isn’t healthy for our vision. Too much exposure to the blue light that radiates from our screens includes but isn’t limited to eye strain, blurriness, and headaches. It’s easy to see how these effects can decrease productivity because if we can’t see well or have intense headaches we can’t work. Taking a screen time break isn’t the only way to maintain good eye health. You can also protect your eyes by investing in blue-light filtering glasses or contacts. Now, this doesn’t mean you can keep working non-stop, no. It just reduces how blue light our eyes are absorbing. You should absolutely give your eyes screen time rest.
Work Outside of Your House
To avoid cabin fever taking over grab your laptop and work outside. Sitting on the porch while working will give you an opportunity to get some much needed fresh air and connect with your neighbors, from a safe distance, of course. This will also give you a slight change of scenery. Yeah, you’re still working from home but not inside your home. Additionally, working outside will open your mind to fresh thoughts. Remember that break I was talking about before? Allowing yourself to spend several moments looking up at the clouds and taking in the sights around you will relax and open your mind to new ideas and solutions, thus making you more productive.
Now that you’ve got your work productivity up, let’s talk about some ways you can combat the ping of loneliness that comes from working from home in isolation.
Group Video Chat with Your Friends
Make standing weekly video chats in order to stay connected with family and friends. Make these chats fun where you as a whole family are on Brady Bunch style, or you call cook together and have dinner together. The possibilities for fun virtual connections are endless. Now if you find yourself unable to make one of the chats cause life happens, make it a point to reschedule it because the last thing you want is to fall into a habit of not chatting with one another.
If you must get that human connection you can visit your loved ones but as safely as possible. Stay on the curb or remain in your car and wear your masks and gloves.
Join Online Communities
You can look at this two ways: you can join a group based on what you do for work or you can join a group based on your various hobbies. Joining an online community, in general, will allow you to connect with people around the world with similar interests. There is a Facebook group for just about everything so don’t think your hobby or interest is so rare there is no one exclusively talking about it, because they are and they’re waiting for you to join.
Seek Out Online Therapy
If the loneliness is getting to be too much and you’re not comfortable speaking to a friend or loved one I suggest seeking out an online therapist. There are a number of online platforms that will help you find a therapist with many offering free consultations. Very Well Mind has a list of the best online therapy programs. It features the pros and cons of each platform to help you make the best decision for you. If you want to talk to someone who looks like you then I recommend checking out Black Female Therapists. It’s a directory featuring only Black women therapists. But whatever you choose, be sure to pick a therapist whom you’ll feel most connected with.
Now that you’re armed with these tips and you should begin to feel more productive and hopefully a little less lonely as we ride out this pandemic. What are some ways that you’re staying productive and fighting loneliness while working from home in isolation?
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