8 experiments that keep me sane working from home

Do try these at home

Here’s a list of a few experiments I tried that made working from home a little easier. All of the ones below stayed:

1. Removed notifications from most apps on my phone — the only app that has notifications still on is Signal.
2. Unsubscribed from newsletters I didn’t read and now use email app hey.com to sort and categorise different types of emails so I don’t have to see them all when I’m not ready to.
3. Taking 4 deep breathes before any new task — thoughts make us breath quicker and more intensely through the chest, taking some time to breathe slowly and from the diaphragm helps to calm the body and subsequently the mind. It works.
4. Spending 5 minutes before every work meeting setting a quick intention — jotting down what are my intentions and what needs to happen for the session to help stay on track and get an outcome.
5. Having lunch somewhere different to where I work really helps to switch off and step away from the online world and be in the present one.
6. Doing some stretches if I’m in meetings without cameras! Stretching and listening is totally possible if you’re in a more passive meeting, not so much if you’re actively participating in one!
7. Taking Vitamin D spray supplements — if you live in the UK you need these, especially over winter… and most of the summer! I don’t know if this is psychosomatic but it makes me feel stronger. It’s probably in my head.
8. Keep my phone on mute… always.

I’m sure there are lots of great other ways to make, working from home, work. I find setting a few boundaries helpful to make it all a little more sustainable and keep me enjoying it.

The next thing I’d like to try is doing all this from another country… maybe I could skip number 7 then.

This post is part of a series of atomic essays on Twitter for #Ship30for30