If you work from home, it’s likely that you’ve run into this problem. At home it’s easy to feel more relaxed and comfortable. You wear comfy clothes. You’ve got 3-day old hair tied in a bun on your head. And makeup, well that’s just non-existent. When I put down my camera to become a Private Photo Editor, I didn’t realize just how difficult working from home could be. Today, I’m sharing three ways to stay energized working a desk job.
Exercise
If you’re anything like me, this is probably the last thing you want to hear. Exercise has never been something that I ever enjoyed doing. I’ve only been back into a regular workout routine for 4 months at the time of writing this post. And even so, it still takes some serious pep talks to myself some mornings to get up, tie my shoes, and put in some hard work for 30 minutes.
So what’s my motivation? For starters, I remind myself how much my body has changed and grown strong in the last 4 months. But more importantly, I remind myself just how much more energy I have throughout the day. Not only do I have more energy, but I also tend to be in a better mood. All those natural happy hormones really make a big difference.
I like to get my workout routine in first thing in the morning. I find that it helps set a positive tone to my work day; an essential must-have when you work from home.
Work Smarter, Not Harder
It’s a simple idea, but it makes a world of difference. In order to stay energized while working a desk job is to schedule your to-do’s so that you’re focusing on the shortest tasks during the time of day that you tend to feel the most tired.
It’s a mental thing, really. When you’re accomplishing tasks one right after the other, especially when you’re feeling tired, the accomplishments begin to give you a little pep in your step.
For me, the mid-day slump is real. It usually happens between 1-3 in the afternoon. I eat lunch. I maybe use my lunch break to catch up on an episode of my favorite show. I get back to work. Sort of. I get to work, except I have almost zero motivation. My body is using energy to digest my lunch. I maybe let myself relax a little too much during lunch break. How do I get back into things?
That’s why I keep my shortest tasks for mid-afternoons. After lunch, I start to work on the easiest, quickest to-do’s of the day. As I knock out emails, cleaning, Instagram posting, and other small things, I begin to get re-energized from the feeling of accomplishment. If you’d like more tips on how to stay more productive when you work from home, you can read that post here.
Small, Frequent Breaks
The last piece of advice that I have for those of you who work a desk job, and or work from home, is to simply take small, frequent breaks. Sitting down for long periods of time can have a big impact on your energy levels; that’s why making sure that you’re getting out of your seat every so often is so crucial.
I like to set a timer for myself. I’ll either use my phone or my watch to set a timer every hour. If you have an Apple Watch, it makes it even easier, because it automatically tells you to stand each out by default.
It’s sometimes really difficult to put down what I’m working on at the time. But I’ve noticed that when I do take the time to stand up and walk around for a minute or two, my overall energy level stays higher throughout the entire workday. Sometimes I like to wash dishes. Sometimes I like to just walk outside to breathe in some fresh air for a minute. The goal is to just get up out of your seat.
I hope you enjoyed these work-from-home tips today! If you’d like more information about Outsourcing your wedding photography or being a Private Photo Editor, I’d love to hear from you.
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