I’ve been working from home full-time for almost two years now, it’s given me so much flexibility, there’s no morning traffic, and I have everything here that I could want.
Lately, it’s been pretty easy to give up on some habits that help me separate work from the rest of my life. I fall into a less disciplined routine – not getting fully dressed every day, maybe I’m a little too comfortable at home, and I struggle to really unplug when the workday is done.
In an effort to improve my work life balance, I’ve been making a conscious effort to turn it off, and not feel like most of my life is within the four walls of my home office.
These few simple wellness habits have been tremendous for maintaining my mental & physical health, and just feeling like myself again.
It’s nothing crazy, and whether you work from home or in the office, I think it’s a great reminder to take care of ourselves when work gets busy. These are the four work from home wellness habits that keep me balanced.
#1 Having A Morning Routine That I Can Stick To
There are days where the first thing I do is open up my laptop, and hop right into emails, calls, and the demands of the workday.
Those days are certainly heavier, and feel way longer than they should. Lunch breaks are sacrificed on putting myself together, I don’t get outside, and I just feel so bleh about myself.
I’ve never been a morning person, but it shouldn’t be this way.
I’ve come to realize I don’t need to have a perfectly productive morning in order to make it worth one less hour of sleep. I used to think I had to cram everything or else I wasn’t doing enough; get up for sunrise, go for a run, have an 8 step skin care routine, and prepare a gourmet breakfast all before 9am.
Putting too much pressure on it made it even harder to get up and just take care of myself before the workday starts.
By simplifying my routine, it makes it so much easier to stick to, and I’m excited to get up and give myself that time back. I take my morning coffee outside, get dressed into real clothes, and ease into the work day.
I won’t be giving up my sweatpants while I’m at home, but I’m starting off the day on a much better note.
The difference between the days I start working immediately and the days I give myself a regular morning routine is night and day. I feel refreshed, alert, and like I’ve given myself a head start on having a great day.
#2. Actually Taking My Lunch Breaks – and Doing Something Fun With Them
Then there are the days that I get sucked into the grind and forgo my one hour lunch break. Those days are exhausting, I’ll completely forget to eat, I don’t get outside, then I’m burnt out for the afternoon and into the evening.
The days when I actually give myself that hour to break up the workday are some of the best, especially because working from home gives me so many options for how to spend it.
I live just a mile from the beach, so I try to get out there and get some sun when I can, it gets me out of the house and I certainly won’t complain about the extra beach time.
My friend and I also started walking during a lot of my lunch breaks while she was on a flexible schedule. I loved having an excuse to get outside and someone to talk to.
It’s no secret that working from home can be isolating, so having that social time has been huge for maintaining the relationships that are important to me.
It’s such an improvement to my day just taking the one hour back for myself, it’s not only just a time to eat, it’s a time to reset and come back in the afternoon completely refreshed.
By maximizing it with a trip to the beach, or a walk with a friend, it made me so excited to take it, and I really started to prioritize that time for myself.
#3 Getting Outside Everyday – Even Just for 10 Minutes
Not having a reason to leave the house does exactly what you would think: I stay inside. Then it would turn into day 3 of not seeing the sun.
I’ve certainly had stretches where I end up working late, go straight into dinner, then go to bed… repeat. Before I know it, I’m going stir-crazy.
This is when my mental health suffers the most, I feel insecure, lack balance, and feel like I’m not a regular functioning member of society. That’s until I just take a step outside and all those existential feelings are held at bay.
Seriously breathing some fresh air and seeing the sun is like magic when that isolation creeps in.
I’ve perfected a 10 minute loop within my neighborhood, and I make sure that I take this every day. It doesn’t matter when, it just matters that I do it and get out of my house.
I love taking my morning coffee for a walk, getting to say hi to the neighbors, then I’m back to the day. Even if I take it in the middle of the workday, it’s nice to take a breath and have a quick reset.
Being outside, seeing other people,and reaping the physical benefits of getting some movement in makes me feel normal again. It’s so important to remember that outside of the four office walls, there’s an entire world out there.
#4 Booking Workout Classes As A Hard Stop To End The Workday
Working late can easily become a habit. It certainly happens more now that I’m at home than it did when I worked in an office. There’s no one else packing up for the day and no drive home waiting for me.
It makes it way too easy to say, “just one more email,” and before I know it, it’s 7 p.m.
To set better boundaries for myself, I’ve been booking my favorite 5:30pm workout classes. It keeps me from staying on way later than I should while staying up on my physical health.
I’ve been taking lagree and barre at a local studio, and I’ve even started to feel like I’m part of this little community. The classes are small, I have some of the same instructors every week, and I’ve made a few friends there.
It’s not only a great workout anymore but it’s become a routine part of my social life.
When I don’t get my classes booked, I struggle to get off work at a decent time, and I skip my workouts altogether. I try my best to get to a workout class at least 2-3 times a week, and I’ve seen such an improvement in my mental and physical health because of this.
I get to pour my stress into the class, challenge myself, and leave with those feel-good endorphins afterward. Most importantly, it gives my workday an actual ending.
Staying Balanced and Keeping Up with The Good Habits
Working from home is an amazing opportunity to be able to work from just about anywhere, have some flexibility in my days, and my cat is the best coworker I could ask for.
But it’s also easy to forget some of the things that make us human and to let healthy work-life boundaries start to disappear.
Choosing to have a good morning, getting outside, spending time with other people, and moving my body have all been tremendously helpful in keeping me productive while separating work from the rest of my life.
And it really doesn’t have to be complicated.
Sometimes we put so much pressure on ourselves to create the perfect routine that it becomes overwhelming to maintain one at all. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to be sustainable.
There will always be opportunities to improve, but first we have to take care of ourselves and find routines that actually work within our lifestyles.
I know I’ve been much better for committing to the simple things.