With team members in hubs across the country and around the world, we here at T!LT have turned remote work into an art form. We were doing it before it was cool, if by “cool” you mean “necessary for the health and safety of everyone involved.”
Now, everybody’s doing it. It’s so passé. It also doesn’t look like it’s going to be changing anytime soon. Not everyone is having an easy time of it, and that’s okay. But we’ve been doing this since long before it was a gleam in the weary, multitasking eyes of all you whippersnappers.
So pull up the same chair you’ve been sitting in for the last six months, make yourself comfortable, and learn from the hard-earned wisdom of Old Man T!LT.
Remote Control, Part 4: Ritual De Lo Habitual — Healthy Habits For Working Remotely
You’ve got your cozy workspace. You’ve got your detailed calendar. You’ve even scheduled in much-needed breaks.
So why are you still freaking out over there?
There are two possible reasons:
- The world is in chaos, and there’s an ever-present cloud of existential dread hovering over every waking moment, or
- You haven’t been using what time you have to practice self-care.
There’s not much you can do about 1, unfortunately. But that’s why it’s more important than ever to take care of yourself. If you’ve got a house full of kids, you may be stretched to the limit. If you live alone, you may be feeling lonely. Neither one feels great.
Being stuck at home, with all the feelings that come along with that, can make it easy to descend into bad habits that can make you feel even worse. Here are some ideas to stay healthy in both mind and body.
(Get On Up) Like A Stress Machine
Remember those breaks you’re supposed to take every twenty minutes or so? They’re not all that restful if you spend them stressing over the events of the last twenty minutes or so. Step outside for some fresh air. Or, if you can’t step outside, just get up and stretch.
Even under ideal conditions, our brains can only focus for so long before things start to get fuzzy. With the added stress that everyone’s dealing with right now, maintaining focus can be even harder. Instead of fighting that, accept it. Make your break a break: don’t spend it slumped in your chair while doomscrolling.
If you meditate, make sure you keep up your practice. If you’re not the meditating type, that’s okay too. We don’t judge; that wouldn’t be very zen of us. But you can take 60 seconds to focus on your breath. Breathe deeply. Breathe consciously. You might be surprised to find that that’s all it takes for a quick reboot.
A Place For Everything, And Everything In Its Place
You’ve got a dedicated workspace, right?
Of course you do. That’s what we told you to do… and you trust us, right?
So why are you looking at your laptop on the couch? And why are there printouts piled up next to your bed? Did you think we wouldn’t notice?
You’ve got a place to work. Keep your work there. If you have to, designate certain areas of your home as “no work zones.” It’s hard enough working in the place where you live. Don’t let your work follow you everywhere. At the very least, the mess of it will stress you out. Keeping things separate will help keep you sane.
“What’s The Deal With Your Eating Habits?”
Everything in your kitchen is available to you around the clock now. Awesome, right? You can pull a Jerry Seinfeld and eat cereal for every meal.
Slow your roll, friend. A bowl of sugary cereal in the morning may be a fine treat, and a well-deserved one at that. But eating two boxes of Frosted Flakes a day? Not so much. We’re not into food-shaming here; you should eat the things you love. But make sure you’re eating healthily, too. Housing sugary foods all day is going to lead to the mother of all sugar crashes at a time when it’s hard enough to stay focused. Pace yourself, and eat a vegetable every now and then.
You’ve Covered A Through Y; Now Concentrate on Z’s
And finally: get some sleep. Yeah, yeah. We know. You’re rolling your eyes at us, the same way you used to when your parents said this. But it’s true.
Maybe you’re staying up later to finish the work you couldn’t do when you were supervising your kids’ virtual schooling. Maybe you just like to procrastinate. Maybe you just really want to binge all five seasons of The Wire. All of these things are totally understandable.
But remember the world before, when you kept wishing you could get more sleep? Well, now your wish can come true. Better, more restful sleep will lead to a more productive workday… which means you’ll have more time to rest… which means you’ll be more productive.
It may be that time is indeed a flat circle. Maybe nothing we do can change that. But while it may at times feel like you’re running in circles, you can choose to take the inside track. Once you learn how to navigate the terrain, that circle can feel even flatter — and less like an uphill battle.
