Whether you’re studying from home, watching your lecture slides from your online portal rather than your trusty lecture theatre, or you’re working from home, partaking in Zoom meetings, rather than office chatter, this change, of remote efforts is a significant adaptation to digest.
Of course, remote working and distance learning has taken off massively, way before the pandemic.
Yet, in most cases, working/studying from home will be an active choice, will be favoured and will fit into a happy and healthy quality of life.
Yet, as both the learning and working landscapes have changed, as a result of the global pandemic, those remote efforts have become a necessity, rather than a voluntary perk.
Through that, it’s understandable if you’re struggling to adapt, even a year into our new norm. It’s also reasonable if your productivity levels have reduced, if your commitment has plummeted and if your passion has decreased.
However, our lives, our development and our ways of existing must go on, up until we can return to our place of work/study. Through this, it’s important that we aim for our best selves, for a balance between the positives and negatives of home working.
Here are some tips on working and studying from home, to help you achieve that balance, offering a happy and healthy equilibrium of realistic remote efforts.
Reaching a balance between the positives and negatives of home working
Working and studying from home, prior to our shift in normality was seen as a perk, as a comforting and flexible opportunity.
Avoiding any form of commute, having the independence to control your time, experiencing peace and balance, and increased focus are all positives of remote working/studying.
However, as the novelty begins to wear, working and studying from home can soon become a chore, where loneliness is experienced, where distractions heighten, where productivity and motivation dwindle, and where a loss of human contact is encountered.
Through unmanageable remote efforts, there are also many negatives, placing a strain on individuals who are involuntarily having to adapt to the impracticality of home working/studying.
Through both the positives and negatives of working and studying from home, it’s therefore important to reach a balance. It’s vital that work-life balance is aimed for, whether you’re a student or a remote worker.
While this balance may initially be difficult to achieve, as you will need to adapt your mindset, routine and environment, it will be worthwhile.
Understandably, working and studying from home won’t be for everyone. Even adaptations will highlight the negatives of your remote efforts.
However, this new landscape will soon readjust, were returning to the lecture theatre or the office will return, making remote efforts a distant memory.
Here are some tips on working and studying from home to ease this time for you, while placing emphasis on your mental health, wellbeing and ability to balance.
Tips on working and studying from home
Working from home can be tough, studying from home can also be tough, yet with some small yet impactful changes to your routine and environment, those challenges can be eased, helping you achieve your goals, responsibilities and intentions.
Get ready for the office/lecture space
Remote working/studying provides the benefit of being able to work from your comfy clothes. In fact, as you’ll rarely be seen, you can pick to work from your bed. Yet, this will contribute to lower levels of productivity, as a blurred line will be between your home life and work life.
Getting ready as though you’re going to the office or lecture space is a good starting point, helping you enter the headspace to start your day right.
Create a focused environment
One of the most important tips on working and studying from home surroundings the setting that you work within. You should aim to create a focused, distraction-free environment, where you can get into the zone of your responsibilities.
If you’re wondering how to be productive, your environment can either enhance or suppress your efforts. Design a workspace which offers peace, comfort, control and positive energy.
Set up a healthy routine
Your routine will dictate the flow of your day. Aim for a realistic routine which you can sustain, from getting up and getting ready, to your break times, and to the time that you will log off. A routine will help you maintain motivation, alongside work-life balance.
Create realistic goals
While working or studying from home, greater pressures are felt, even though our roles and responsibilities have remained. You should remember this, where realistic goals should be created, set and followed. Aim for daily, weekly and monthly goals to help you remain engaged with your work/study scheduled.
Always take breaks
Breaks are highly underrated. However, in the workplace or lecture theatre, breaks are always promoted. You should provide yourself with breaks away from your screen, to re-energise and reconnect.
Stay connected, virtually and physically
Working and studying from home can feel extremely lonely, especially through lockdowns. You should aim to stay connected as much as possible, both virtually and physically. Of course, this must be within reason. Yet, collaboration and engagement can do wonders for your mental health and productivity levels.
Priorities your wellbeing
You cannot pour from an empty glass fully embodies the need to prioritise your wellbeing. Your health comes first, ensuring that you can fulfil your work/studying responsibilities.
Prioritise adequate sleep, exercise, nutrition and a balance away from work. By setting yourself up in a distant environment, you will have a defined physical line between your work and personal life. Now ensure that a psychological line is also present.
As working and studying from home remains to be our realities for the time being, it is important to achieve a degree of balance, to remain happy and healthy.
By following our tips here at Action Rehab, we hope that you can strive for sustainable remote efforts. However, please remember that you are human, and if you are struggling, confidential help is available to guide you through those challenges.
Our tips on working and studying from home are of course an across-the-board recommendation. If you’re struggling, finding a healthy routine, that works for you is encouraged. By doing so, work-life balance, even from home can be achieved.
Sources
https://www.mentalhealthatwork.org.uk/toolkit/lockdown-looking-out-for-ourselves-and-each-other/
Posted on Wednesday, February 24th, 2021 at 3:50 pm in Latest News.
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