Now that it's been 152 days (for me) working from home, it's time to make sure you're keeping yourself safe and healthy! There are important things to consider when you're planning the coming weeks (and months) and that includes the act of NOT WORKING!
A quick note first: If you're a healthcare worker or a frontline worker who is out in the midst of the pandemic keeping the world moving: Thank you. I can only imagine how difficult it must be every day to climb out of bed and put yourself right in front of it all, so on behalf of everyone who doesn't have to: Thank you.
In the last couple weeks I covered some tips and tricks for the most important aspects of working from home (in my opinion): Routine. Making sure you keep it, some ideas for keeping yourself excited even if your normal commute has gone away as well as Workspace, and maintaining your boundaries!
What's also important? Vacation time!
I know you can't go for a trip to Europe or to a tropical island right now, but that doesn't mean you don't deserve some time off!
Why is time off important?
I don't really need to tell you this because you already know full-well how enjoyable some time-off can be, but it also does so much for your mental and physical health! In addition to lowering stress, and making you feel physically better, it also actually leads to improved productivity AT WORK!
It basically sells itself to your employer!
Turning your brain off gives you a chance to digest everything you've been thinking about for the preceding weeks and really gives you some perspective if you're anything like me and get completely lost in the weeds after a week or 9 of busywork.
Is it really important now when I'm already working from home?
Time off is especially important right now and we've all lost sight of that a little bit, I think.
It's easy to get distracted by the fact that you don't go to an office and therefore it feels like you're kinda having some time off right now, but you're not!
In the back of your mind, you're thinking about work just as much (if not more) and the added stressors of life itself right now are all the more justification! You need this! Not only that, you've earned this!
It's important that you allow yourself to unwind as you would normally, and not think that you can just push things backwards for the moment.
I know it's tempting to say “I'm just saving up all my vacation for later” but know that it's going to be difficult for a very long time to travel anywhere significant, so don't do that to yourself, treat yourself now!
Your mental health is just as important as your physical health and we're seeing lots of people who aren't taking the best care of themselves right now, so make sure you are!
How do I approach it?
Just like you would in normal days. The key to working from home (like I talked about in previous weeks) is to keep things as “normal” as possible.
If you would normally approach your boss for time off a few weeks in advance, that's what you do. Set the dates, and even if you end up sitting in the same apartment it's still going to be worth it. Spend as much time as you can outside (safely, with a mask of course), and try and find some things you can do out of your neighborhood. That's difficult in these times I know, but walking with a mask on can take you on adventures away and you can even pretend like you're vacationing somewhere nice.
Buy yourself a treat, eat an icecream, sit in a park.
Do you have other tips and tricks?
Send them through or comment below! I love to hear how you're all coping!
