Dear reader,
I hope you and your families are keeping well during this unpredictable time. I wanted to share a few of my very own top tips, on how I set up my working day and how I plan to keep busy during the next three months working from home, while keeping socially distanced from loved ones, which is going to be extremely hard. I currently live with my father who has underlying health issues, but other than that, he is a perfectly fit and well. He is isolating, therefore I am too! #InItTogether
How I start my mornings, I take my exercise of the day either going for a walk or a ride on my bike. I am lucky to live so close to The River Ouse in Bedford, so I have a beautiful route in the mornings to follow. Once I arrive back home, I take my shoes off and leave them near the front door and wash my hands! I prepare a coffee and either a bowl of porridge or a whole grain bagel with banana on. Once digested, this is normally quite quick, I tend to just blink and I’ve already wolfed down my breakfast. I go to our dining room, where I have set up camp with my work equipment and log on. While my computer is starting up, I run back to the kitchen, make a cup of tea and grab a biscuit (it would be rude not to).
I am very strict with how I leave the table at the end of my working day, I give it a good clean, I ensure that leave neat piles of work and complete an action list for the following morning.
I split a piece of paper into 4 columns:
- Urgent attention
- After urgent
- Who I need to touch base with and time
- Things for my radar
This gives me a quick indication of what I need to prioritise during the day. I like to have the radio on in the background, I’m used to the hustle and bustle of the office and without it on, it’s so quiet! I also find it’s good for your mind, to hear people speak and sing rather than just listening to tapping on a keyboard.
I recommend positioning your equipment near a window or door, that way, when the room gets a little stuffy, you can get a good boost of fresh air by opening it, perfect for re-energising. Something I find refreshing is lighting a candle in the afternoon, I was gifted an aromatherapy candle from Jane, which has a beautiful citrus smell, this with a nice gush of fresh air keeps me focused. (Do not put a candle close to electrical equipment and remember to blow it out).
Once my working day is complete, I ensure that I’m going to have a healthy balanced dinner and give time to myself. I’ve binged so much Netflix, I feel my eyes are going square, so I’m completing beauty treatments on myself, as well as having a good dive into my craft box. I have created a weekend list, when the weekend comes around, I have a long list of outside garden to do’s, as well as in house, but I also have a self-care list which includes some of the following.
Clara’s #Selfcare list:
- Yoga
- Hair Mask and a blow dry
- Organise something that’s been bugging me (desk draws, tangled necklaces, albums on my mac – you get the idea)
- Crafting
- Gel Nail Time
- Face time loved ones
Remember! keep focused and active, we are all in this together, look after yourself every one and see you later COVID-19!
Written by Clara Travers (ECG Operations Manager), Wednesday 4th April 2020
Follow me at: https://twitter.com/ECG_Clara
