Since the Covid Pandemic started, there has been a significant increase of the number of people who are working at home. Whether you're new to working remotely or just looking to level up, these tops tips will help both you and your dog(s) stay mentally and physically healthy.
If you're new to the remote working lifestyle, whether due to the pandemic or because you have started a more remote working role, you may have found that you need to change your habits and routines for both yourself and your dog(s) to make working from home a success.
I've worked remotely for over 20 years, long before the COVID-19 pandemic started, and understand that we all can face unique challenges, this can be due to our lifestyles, how we have different personalities, the time of work that we do etc…. and sometimes it can be difficult to fit everything into the day and ensure that there is enough time to fit in exercise, walking the dogs, etc.
However, all these core issues tend to be similar for everyone, so please don’t ever think that you are alone – it takes some time to get used to the ‘new way’ of working, so don’t be hard on yourself if it feels strange to start with.
When you work remotely, you need to figure out when, were, and how to work to ensure that there is a work-life balance. This includes ensuring that there is time for you, your family, and your pets – plus what do you do about office equipment, training opportunities, career development? As well as juggling the kids potentially being at home during the day, so additional distractions which you may not have had when working in an office environment.
When you are working from home and remote from your co-workers, these (and other) are things that need to be figured out – I have included below some top tips which are based on my experiences from working home, which will hopefully help you and your family also adjust to this new way of working- be this be on a temporary basis, or a more permanent basis.
I note – that if remote working is on more of a temporary basis, and there will be a return to the office in the future – we will also cover later some hints and tips on how to make that transition back to the workplace, easy on you, your family, and your pet(s)
1 – Ensure you have a routine
Sitting down at your desk at a certain time every day is one thing, however creating a daily routine which guides you into that chair is something different (for the majority this is typically in the AM, but we do have clients that don’t follow a more traditional 9-5 routine)
A routine for you, your family and your dog(s) can be more beneficial that getting into the ‘chair’ for a certain time each day. Have a think about what in your pre-work routine indicates that you are about to start work? For some it might be your morning cup of tea/coffee, for others it might be straight after eating breaking, after you have walked the dogs, after you have got the kids out of bed etc – the list is endless and very much determined by your own lifestyle.
Try and note down all the activities that you need to do before you get into the work ‘chair’ each day and try to put these into a routine. For us, we have a simple morning routine: The alarm goes off at 6am, we get up feed the dogs and the horses, whilst the animals are eating, we put the hay out into the field for the horses. Next is turning out, mucking out and getting the stables ready for the evening. Followed by walking the dogs before coming in getting some breakfast, and typically I am at my desk for 08:30 to check emails and start the working day.
I note that having the ability to work in PJ’s can be a perk for some, but a bad idea for others – take the time to sit down and figure out what is the best routine for you and your family in before your workday starts.
Figuring out the best pre-work routine will be beneficial in starting your day the right way, and (if you can) try and get a dog walk in before you start work. Getting some fresh air in the morning really helps me get going and feel fresh and awake before I start the day
2 – Try and keep to regular hours
Have a think about the work schedule that you need to adhere to, for some this will be easier as it would be driven by your contracted hours and for others you may have a freer rein on the hours that you work.
By putting in place guidelines for when to start, stop, and have breaks etc helps many people maintain a better work-life balance. Depending, on the job that you do, there may be times that you need to extend your working hours to cover a different time-zone, if this is the case, adjust your working pattern/routine (as mentioned in the first point) to start later/earlier etc as required.
It could be that you are working slightly different hours to the standard 9-5 to balance family commitments – again making sure that you have a daily routing in place and that you maintain these hours will certainly help ensure that you maintain a good work-life balance.
3 -Schedule Breaks
Remember to schedule and take breaks! People quite often to forget or feel guilty if they take breaks when working from home… If you compare this to when you were in the office, I am sure that you would nip down to get a tea/coffee, go to the canteen for food, perhaps take a stroll out during lunch and get some air. It really is no different when you are working remotely.
If you work for an organisation, take note of what is allowed within your contract, as there will be guidelines, such as 15-minute breaks in the AM/PM and an hour for lunch (as an example)
If you are self-employed, make sure that you set your own schedule and adhere to it.
Take the time when on your breaks to be away from the computer screen and phone, we always give our dogs a mid-day walk during our lunch breaks – I find that this is especially important on the days where we have a full office day to make sure that we get out and get some fresh air, which can also help to clear minds and start afresh in the afternoon
Other things to consider is what we like to call a micro-break – this is especially important if you are doing computer based work or sedentary work – it is really important to stand up and get your blood moving every hour, on the office based days, we do at least 250 steps per hour – this ensure that we take the micro break to give our eyes a rest from the screen and get our body moving.
For several our clients, they spend a lot of the day on conference calls, if you can take the call on your mobile and go for a walk at the same time – do it! I appreciate that this may not be possible for all calls, as some will be video conferencing, or you may need to be in a presentation type mode etc – but look at the meetings that you have each day, and see if there are some that you could do whilst walking, you will feel the benefit of having an extra 30 mins away from the screen
One important item to note is to also take the entirety of the break, this is the time to get away from the computer, your job etc – this is key to helping to get the right remote work-life balance.
4 – Leave the House/Get Fresh Air
Can you see a theme coming here? :)
Where possible always try to schedule time to get out of the house and move your body – this is where having a dog is fantastic as it gives you another reason to get out of the house.
It is important to remember that your body needs movement and blood circulation, and the fresh air and being in natural light will do you good.
This advice should also be followed even if you are back working in the office – always try to get out and get some air a few times a day – you will notice the difference!
Even during the restrictions of the pandemic, getting air and exercise (for the majority) was allowed for mental health reasons – obviously double check if there are specific pandemic lock down criteria that you need to adhere to in your area.
5 – Don’t be afraid to ask for what you need
If you are working for a company etc that supports your remote working set-up, make sure that you have requested the equipment that you need.
This could be a monitor, keyboard, chair, printer, etc (you get the drift) – it is very important that you have a comfortable set up when working from home. Several companies have in place key guidelines when you are in the office and support to ensure that you are set up ergonomically correct (seat/desk/monitor height etc) – this also applies when you are working remotely – taking care of yourself etc is key
If the remote working is on a temporary basis, and you may be required to go back into the office when it is safe to do so, there may need to be an acceptable compromise – in terms that a new office chair and/or desk may not be accommodated, however a monitor stand, back support, footrest could be a shorter-term solution
6 – Have a dedicated working space
In an ideal world, if you are a remote worker, you would have a dedicated room in the house as an office and perhaps a couple of computers, phones to fully separate work and personal life.
However, we do not unfortunately live in an ideal work, and not everyone has a space room that could be used as an office, or the ability to have two computers, phones etc.
Our recommendation is that whilst you are working as per the agreed schedule mentioned above, that you dedicate a desk/table space etc for that period – sometimes making a small differentiation between personal and working space can make all the difference. For instance, working could be connected to a monitor and keyboard on your kitchen table, and personal could be using the laptop only. This helps your brain know when you are off the clock.
Another tip is that if you are using say the kitchen table, when work is finished, make sure everything from work is put away, or put in another room. This then gives you the ability to turn off from work. If you leave the laptop on, or in plain view, it’s easy to think “oh, I just answer that email” and before you know it, you have worked an additional couple of hours. It is key to try and stick to the schedule that you have created in the above points.
7 – End your day with a routine
You guessed it :) There is a definite theme with this blog post, just as your day starts with a routine, make sure you end it with a routine. This could be as simple as a sign off message before you turn off your computer, or you finish with a online exercise class, taking the dogs out for a final walk, starting the dinner etc… as per the first point the end of day routine is different for each person.
For us, our end of the working day is the final walk with the dogs before bringing in the horses to their stables and giving the night-time feed. (Albeit the horses do also get evening checks before we go to bed).
8– Don’t be too hard on your yourself!
Working remotely can be difficult and there is a need to be more disciplined than working from a traditional office location. Don’t forget – it takes focus to do any job from a non-conventional type of space, couple this with the additional stresses of the pandemic, perhaps having the kids at home more than usual, sickness, etc, it can be tough at times.
If your attention drifts every now and then – its normal, we all do it – do not beat yourself up over it. I bet, you probably also did this in the office environment So cut yourself some slack and remember that you need to balance productivity with self-care to avoid burning yourself out.
One of the key positives of having the ability to work remotely is the flexibility that this can provide, and I hope that the hints and tips and routines that we have mentioned above should hopefully help support you to achieving a great working balance from home and enable you to enjoy time with your family and your pet(s)
We hope that you have enjoyed reading our Working at home - Hints and Tips blog post.
Remember, stay safe and enjoy the fresh air and time with your families and your dog(s) – they really can be the best stress reliever out there! :)
