How to stay positive while working from home with housemates
Because even the best of friends can feel friction right now.
As we hit the one month mark in lockdown, you may be wondering how on earth you can stay positive while continuing to work from home, especially if you're living with a house full of people.
It can be a challenging time all round, from trying to ensure your productivity levels remain high at work to fitting in 'you' time and figuring out how to co-exist with your housemates without driving each other totally bananas.
Let's be real, it's easy to get under each other's skin when you're practically on top of each other 24/7.
We're all handing the lockdown differently, which is why it's important to stick to a routine and crank up your creativity levels, while ensuring your housemates know, sing it with me now, that "we're all in this together."
So, we're bringing you the ultimate crash course on how to get through this challenging time, to maintain good mental health , make the best use out of this time and bring a little bit of fun back into our lives, while achieving that work/life balance - which can be a little trickier when you're housebound.
Book in 'you' time
Whether it's a bubble bath, face mask, cosying up with a good book, listening to the latest podcast (if you haven't already check out our All The Way With series) or going for a daily walk, it's important to factor in you time while we stay housebound to keep your mental health in check. You never know, you may just discover a new hobby too. We've taken up knitting.
Find your own meeting space
Depending on the size of your house and how many flatmates you have, this can be a little tricky if you're on Zoom calls 24/7, like the rest of us.
Try finding a quite place you can sneak away to where you know you can't be disturbed, or set up a space in your bedroom; just make sure you're background is profesh. AKA do your workmates really need to see your dirty laundry?
Establish a routine
This may sound like the simplest thing to do, but, surprisingly, it's the hardest to achieve on a daily basis. Establishing a routine brings some sense of normality back into our lives and can help structure your day.
The most important part is to set an alarm, have a shower and get out of your PJs every morning, so you're ready to start the day. Next, set up a morning ritual, like watching the news at breakfast or going for a morning run, or try something new and use your commute time to do something you usually wouldn't.
As for the rest of the day, set yourself a schedule, set an alarm for morning tea and lunch breaks, or perhaps every Wednesday FaceTime a work colleague for a virtual coffee.
Routines help to keep you in check and shouldn't stop when work is over. Don't just spend your evenings sitting around watching Netflix, pick an activity to do a couple of nights a week, it will help break up the week and make the days not blur into one.
Schedule lunch together
A fab way to bond with your housemates is by spending your lunch breaks together, like you would with your work pals back in the office. It can be a good way to check-in, see how everyone's doing and helps you to actively spend time away from your desk (which can be hard when you're WFH).
If you're lucky enough to have a garden or rooftop, spend that time outdoors soaking up the sun, what better way to spend your lunch hour than getting some much-needed vitamin D?
Cook for each other once a week
If you're cooking a lot more than normal, you're not alone. While this isn't a bad thing, it can be nice to have a night off every now and then.
Schedule a family style meal once week where you each take turns cooking for each other, just make sure to be aware of any allergies or if you have any new vegetarians in the house.
Switch off
When you work from home it can be hard to switch off, as you're not leaving a physical office. Set an alarm 15 minutes before you're supposed to finish so you can start to mentally unwind.
If you work in a team try spending the end of each day checking in with each other on Zoom, this creates a virtual goodbye and can help you to officially sign off and put that laptop down and go for a run or like the majority of us, grab yourself a big ass glass of wine - trust us, you deserve it.
Plan fun after-work activities together
Another great way to ensure you get that work/life balance and spend time together as a flat is to plan after-work activities - try a nightly run, game of badminton or a good old fashioned game night playing Monopoly. It's just about finding something everyone loves to do and making time with each other.
Check-in with each other
Emotions are running high right now, some days can be great, where you are super productive and have lots of energy, others you may just want to grab the wine and crash on the couch.
It's okay to feel up and down and it's important to know that we're all feeling vulnerable right now; which is why you need to check in on your roommates mental health more regularly than ever, especially those who have a harder time opening up. Ask if they want to talk and if they don't, let them know that you're there when they're ready.
Making your home a space where yourself and others can feel like you can open up is hugely important for feeling safe and can help each other know that you're not in this alone.
Go for regular walks
Staying indoors all day can sometimes make you just want to get out, so use that one hour of exercise a day to go for a run or walk and clear your head.
As Elle Woods says, "endorphins make you happy," which increases your mental health. Making time to go outdoors refreshes and revives you and connects you to the outside world.
If you're one of the lucky few who live by a park and it's not totally swamped, make sure to use it, according to Taking Charge, connecting with nature reduces anger, fear, and stress and increases positive emotions. Sounds like a double win to us.
Share the highlight of your day
Self-reflection is a powerful tool, and is especially important in times of uncertainty.
Sit around your kitchen table or living room and take five to talk about the highlights of your day with your housemates, maybe add a glass of two or wine into the equation, if you fancy it. Or if you're all busy, share your thoughts on your WhatsApp group - reflecting on the positive things in your life can be surprisingly rewarding and even bring a smile to your face.
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