Your Daily Occupation: Rhythms of the Day
Today, let's talk about the rhythms of the day.
Since we're working from home, we don't really have the natural cues and reminders that we did when we worked in the office. For example, mid morning I would start to see a parade of people going to the bathroom. And long about 11:30 the chorus of "I'm hungry" begins, followed by "I don't know what I want to eat." At home, it's easy for morning to run into lunch to run into dinner... Which result in you looking up at 5:00 P.M. and wondering what happened to your day.
My first tip is to use nature's clock to keep you on track. Open curtains and position your work space so you can see outside. This keeps you aware of approximately what time it is. Set an alarm so you can go outside 2 or 3 times a day, even if it's just on your stoop. This will provide a short break, fresh air, and help you refocus more easily when you get back to work. If you live with other people, try not putting in headphones so you can hear when they start to bustle around.
"Chunk" your work. Set your day up into 4 segments: Start of the day, before lunch, after lunch, and end of the day. Set a timer so you remember when to switch tasks.
Choose a specific time for lunch and for the end of your work day. Put it on your calendar and set an alarm. It's also helpful to decide in advance what you'll be eating—one less decision for you to make. Maybe you can even plan to meet your family for lunch every day at a certain time!
Hopefully you can add some of these tips to your work at home tool kit and continue to get into a good work-from-home groove.