How to keep productivity up when WFH

For the majority of us, work is work and home is home. But when your home suddenly becomes your work space, it can be tricky to separate the two. And with most of the population now #wfh due to the pandemic of COVID-19, now more than ever, we need to adapt to new environments and a new way of living and working.

While some of you might be in the swing of things with a new routine, others might find their productivity is beginning to wane —  especially with the sunshine beaming outside our windows.

Registered Nutritionist Clarissa Lenherr shares her top tips to stay productive when working from home.

Get exposure to light
And by light, I mean daylight. When we commute into work, we start our days by exposing our eyes to natural light, which helps contribute to our circadian rhythm, the cycle that governs our wake and sleep patterns. This light tells our body that the day has begun, and helps boot up our energy systems. Aim for ten minutes of fresh air and natural light in the morning, and once again in the afternoon for a refreshing pick me up. 

Make a to do list
I always begin my day by noting down a list of my tasks for the day. If you are a fan of paper and pen like me, use a notepad, journal or planner. For those of you who are more tech savvy, set-up notes/stickies/google docs or look at some of the task management software available online such as monday.com, Basecamp etc.

Structure your day with lots of breaks
I often find, once I am invested in a project or a piece of work, hours can fly by before I have remembered to take a break. This can leave me feeling exhausted, dry eyed and even gives me backache. To combat this try setting three alarms per day to remind you to get up and have a break – times that work well for me are 11am, 3pm and 5pm. 

Prep food in advance
Batch cooking will save you time planning, thinking and cooking food, all of which gives you more time to prioritise other tasks that might be on your to do list. Batch cook or prep on a Sunday some healthy snacks such as protein balls and muffins, one tray of roast veggies and one grain (brown rice, quinoa, buckwheat). By having these in the fridge you are prepped with some staples to build a well balanced meal.

Move
With stress levels higher than ever for many of us right now, moderate movement is incredibly beneficial. High intensity exercise can trigger a release of cortisol, which can exacerbate already high stress levels. Moderate activity such as long walks, Pilates, Yoga or stretching can keep our blood flow moving, help us iron out any stiff necks and niggles and refresh our energy levels. 

Limit your phone time
Social media and the constant light up notifications on your phone can be a big productivity killer. Try turning off screen notifications on your phone, and limit your checking of personal notifications to once per hour. There are also some great apps that can limit your time exposure to certain apps such as Offtime and AppDetox.