Simple, eco-friendly hacks  to level-up your WFH game

Simple, eco-friendly hacks to level-up your WFH game

Author Aakanksha Nair / Published: May-02-2020

Missing that potted plant next to your desk? The friendly office dog that made work better? You’re not alone. Work From Home can be challenging for a lot of people. Some miss the water-cooler breaks, some miss the alone-time during the commute and some the fun of working alongside people. So much so that one of the most soundtracks right now is that of office sounds! It’s literally the sounds you hear in your daily office life like the sound of a new coworker trying to work the coffee machine, of someone heating their second lunch for the day, of someone punching away at the keyword, you get the point. All this points to one thing: the very real feeling that is office blues! Office blues are legit especially since WFH has become the new normal. Now we don’t have a remedy for office blues, but we do have a few simple hacks that can make your WFH a little more fun. Best part? They’re eco-friendly, they’ll invite nature into your workspace and won’t involve any new purchases!

There’s a reason why we cook in the kitchen, sleep in the bedroom, and hold solo concerts in the shower. Physically separating different parts of our space helps our brain understand which activity we’re going to perform. This is why having a distinction between your workspace and your personal space is key. If you work where you sleep/lounge it can get difficult to turn off your work thoughts when it’s time, leading to burnout. You’re probably thinking that you don’t have the space for that, or the time, or the equipment? Guess what, you don’t need any of that for these hacks:

  • Pick a chair and table that you will only use while working to create a distinction
  • Move your existing setup to a separate space in the house while working and move it back to its original spot when done. Pro tip: Pick a spot that gets sunlight/has a view.
  • Fan of standing desks? Repurpose whatever sturdy boxes you may have lying in storage and stack them to create a standing desk. Doesn’t have to be just boxes, get creative with your books, tables, or even your ironing board!

Going to work meant meeting your favorite colleague - it could be a fellow employee, your potted plant, or the friendly office dog. Having some company through the work hours keeps the mind at ease and makes for a fun experience. With social distancing rules your work-buddy options are restricted but not zero:

  • Move the plants in your house closer to your workspace. Don’t have plants? Move your workspace closer to the window to make nature your work buddy. Apart from being a good and quiet work buddy, they also brighten up your WFH space and act as air filters. Win-win-win.
  • Let your dog/cat/hamster/any animal you live with lounge around you when you’re not on Zoom calls. Actually, even when you’re on Zoom calls as it will not only help you destress but also help your “pet-less” co-workers. And of course, your furry friend making a guest appearance doesn’t hurt your approval rating.
  • Reach out to your work buddies on Slack/Zoom/whatever app you use whenever you can. There’s no reason that the water-cooler conversations can’t happen online. Staying in touch with your co-workers through this will make quarantine easy and WFH fun

Do you cook a whole meal in your office breaks? No, right? Then why do it during your WFH breaks. Create a meal prep plan that allows you to use your breaks for true relaxation doing any of these other activities:

  • Pick up yoga. Better yet, set-up group yoga timings for people from work and connect over Zoom to do it together. Works well with dance parties/zumba/boxing what have you.
  • Light a candle and meditate to elevate your mood. Need help? Download apps like Calm/Headspace to find quick, short, and super effective meditations that will leave you feeling fresh and pumped for the rest of the day.
  • Read, listen to podcasts, or watch short movies. Apps like Quibi make it easy to find entertainment options for short breaks.

Declutter your workspace for maximum efficiency. A cluttered workspace is likely to cause more stress and reduce productivity. Use these hacks to make the most out of the bare minimum:

  • Re-evaluate all the things on your work desk to see what you can do without. Do you really need your straightening iron there? What about those two coffee cups? Or those water bottles piling up? Keep only those things that you cannot work without. Your laptop, phone, chargers, one water bottle, one pen, and one notepad should be a good starting point. Pro tip: Keep those items that you use more frequently closer to you so you don’t have to constantly reach over or move around.
  • Use your toilet paper rolls to create a fun stand for your office supplies. This not only levels up your repurposing game but also helps you keep your desk organized. Pro tip: go crazy decorating it with whatever supplies you have at home to add color to your space
  • Repurpose empty boxes to create drawers/dividers. All you need to do is cut off the tops and you have a fun, new desk divider! Use this to store anything from paper to pins depending on the size and never worry about having to hunt for these things again.

Work from home can get lonely and confusing especially if you’re new to it. Well, that’s the case with most new or unfamiliar things. What helps at such times is to just have fun with the experience and keep experimenting till you zero in on the ideal conditions for you. Here’s hoping some of these hacks get you started on your experimental journey that makes this experience a little easier.

 

Toronto-based marketer, Aakanksha, is a story-teller by profession and passion. When she's not working on marketing campaigns, you'll find her immersed in passion projects around animals, sustainable living and of course, story-telling.

- Aakanksha Nair -




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