Working from home in the past year or so has transformed lives completely. This new remote world of office work has caused personal and professional lives to get muddled together, with people struggling to manage both. Numerous employees across America are reporting that they have lost sight of their visions and dreams, while others complain about how they spend their whole day working and don't have much time left for any other activity.
These are all very real problems associated with WFH. But, fortunately, they all have a solution!
This New Year, add some work resolutions to your list so you can continue to perform your best without losing yourself in the process. Here are some excellent New Year resolutions for WFH employees.
Declutter Your Office Space
A cluttered workspace leads to a cluttered mind, which can easily hinder your ability to perform at work. Do you often find yourself working extra hours, trying to accomplish all of your scheduled tasks for the day? It could just be because your work spot is messy and disorganized, making it difficult to concentrate on your office work!
Whether you have a separate office room at home or simply work on a desk in the living area, your space needs to be clean and tidy. Start the new year with a promise to yourself that you will clear out your workspace at least twice a week to prevent it from getting into disarray.
Try to start by dividing all of the things cluttered around your desk or office room into three piles:
To keep
To consider
To throw away
Be strict with yourself when deciding what you need to keep and what can be thrown away. You can dispose of or recycle all of your notes and scribbles from last year, as they are probably incoherent by now, and you would hardly even remember why you jotted them down. Get rid of the paperwork you no longer need, throw away broken cables and clear your stationary.
You'll be surprised at how well you work and the way your productivity levels spike once your workspace is nice and organized. Getting rid of work clutter really is a great way to enter the new year with a fresh mind.
Make Lunch Breaks a Part of Daily Routine
One of the worst things caused by working from home is that employees now tend to work through their lunch breaks. Quite often, you will come across people who talk about how they have their lunch in front of the computer so they can get done with work faster. While it may be true that a skipped lunch break fastens their workflow, is it really worth it?
Absolutely not!
By not stepping away from your workstation for lunch, you aren't just missing out on the chance to talk a walk to your favourite sandwich shop. You are also stopping your mind and body from taking a well-deserved break. Trying to manage all of your work in one go before turning off your computer might save you an hour or two of work, but it can actually be quite harmful in the long run.
Human minds and bodies aren't designed to sit in front of a screen for hours on end without a break. You need to step away every now and then to enjoy some fresh air, talk to some people and just rest your mind and body. Not doing so can easily lead to burn out and your body can even experience a crash.
Don't put yourself through such a horrible thing. This new year, make it mandatory for yourself and everybody working under you to take a 30-40 minutes break by mid-day!
Celebrate All Wins
Now that you aren't working in the office, it can be difficult to stay in contact with your coworkers. You are all working in your homes and probably only talk to each other when you need to discuss something work-related. People think this is just how the 'new normal' works, but it doesn't have to!
Human beings are social creatures, and everyone needs the care and support of others to live fulfilling lives. If you're finding it a challenge to keep in touch with your coworkers and teammates, you can make it a point to start celebrating your wins together.
Regardless of whether it is a big win like a new client and your coworker buying their dream car, or a smaller one like making it through a difficult project, celebrate everything in this new year! Do your best to reach out to others and encourage them to share their wins with everyone, too, perhaps over a Zoom session!
It will do wonders to make your team feel connected with each other and can help everyone feel valued during these times of much uncertainty.
Create an Ergonomic WFH Environment
Working from home has caused lots of people to start their office work from the bed. There are numerous reports of employees across the world dividing their beds and couches into two areas, one for work and the other for rest. While it may sound convenient and quite comfortable, this lack of a proper office setup is actually having quite a negative impact on people's health.
Very Well Health reports that over 41.2% of people doing WFH have reported low back pain. Additionally, people are also suffering from carpal tunnel on their wrists, weakened eyesight, and regular headaches because of spending their days glued in front of a screen.
Therefore, creating an ergonomic and highly functional workspace away from your bed should be one of your most important 2022 resolutions.
There are numerous different products that FlexiSpot offers to help you in this regard. Their standing desk converters to ergonomic office chairs, and even desk lamps are all designed to streamline your workflow while ensuring no negative impact on your health.
One of the most outstanding products to bring into your office space today is the Adjustable Standing Desk Pro Series. It is an innovative WFH product specially designed to enhance your office desk's stability and allow you to break out of your sedentary work style.
This standing desk has an enhanced structure with an exceptional lifting speed and increased weight capacity of 125kg. It allows you to store your work computer and all of the materials you need on the desk itself, eliminating the need to get up in order to collect your notepads or headphones, as it can interrupt your workflow.
Manage Your Time Productively
Managing your time more productively doesn't mean you try to get more work done within the same amount of time. It means you work smarter and in a streamlined manner. It also includes limiting the number of tasks you try to accomplish each day, so you don't feel absolutely worn out by the end of it!
This is one of the most impactful new year's resolutions as it will help you create an environment that allows you to focus on work while also continuing to have a healthy social life.
You can try to create time blocks within your daily schedule or calendars. Assign each of your daily tasks a particular time block and focus on it completely during this time. Once the time is over, move on to the next thing accordingly. You should make sure that the time blocks don't just include work activities. Set aside a time block to talk to your friends, reach out to neighbours, train the dog and leave a few empty to get some rest.
Try to Rest Mindfully
In the end, you can only work as well as you feel on the inside. Feeling good and well-rested is the best way to give it your all at work, especially as you continue to work from home. It is important to remind yourself that your mind and body are tiring out, even if you have spent the whole day inside your home. You have still been working and carrying out essential tasks that weigh heavy on your mind.
The past year of WFH has blurred the lines between work and rest. Now more than ever, employees are working overtime and have had their managers reaching out far past the usual 9-5. These longer hours and harder work are causing mass exhaustion, and there has been a significant increase in the percentage of people experiencing burnout.
Let the year 2022 be one during which you take better care of your mental, physical and emotional well-being. Prioritize yourself and your health above all. The grind will never stop, but your ability to perform just might if you don't start to take better care of yourself.
Your New Year resolution should include going to bed by 10 pm at maximum. Shut everything down and tuck yourself in for some mindful rest. You can try taking a relaxing bath and practicing some meditation exercises to help you unwind beforehand.
FlexiSpot wishes you a happy new year full of growth and wellness!