“Sick of working from home? Can’t focus and Organize? Read now!”

This could be the title of an advertisement that promises to make your bones strong as steel or your hair grow abundantly just by using a super-special spray that leaves you with more doubts than certainties. The truth is that this working from home thing, ended up forcing human beings to adapt in ways they never though they had to, and productivity might be getting affected over time as many of us have had enough of being at home.

It is true that for some, working from home without contact with the outside world can be a great thing (I know, I used to be one of those). However, for many others that being with people, share a joke, a doubt or a quick conversation over coffee is important, this has come to become a problem (I am at this stage now).

This is when the ad with the solution to all our problems comes in.

Unfortunately for us, a miracle solution does not exist, but there are techniques/tactics that we can use, and should use, to adapt and improve many aspects of our daily routines while at home, when the walls around us seem to be closer and closer everyday (I confess that I think my building may be having serious structural problems!).

As I believe I’m not the only one who needs some extra support, I leave you with some tips to improve your mental state, release stress and get your head to concentrate in useful things – work related but also, for example, how to solve the air intake under the door (during the winter this was a serious issue for me).

Exercise!

“Wow, you’re not off to a great start man!”

The truth is that those who practice a physical activity usually have fewer problems with mental blocks, feel more productive, energetic and with a better mood during the workday and after it. Even while at home, it is possible to use what we have around us and do a half an hour workout in the morning or at the end of the day, with some physical exercises, yoga, or something else you might like. – Try it out and leave a feedback message after the beep…. Beep!

Planning new projects

“If only I had more time at home, I would be able to do this…”

Well, maybe now is the best time to put into practice your craziest projects, like conquering the world using a toothpick. That area of your house that you’ve been planning to redecorate or improve, some application that you’ve been thinking about developing for such a long time or even start blogging! You can decide to start using half an hour of your day to work on that new project you’ve been dreaming about and who knows, it might lead you to something much bigger and, at the same time, if is helping you take your thoughts a little bit outside of work helping you relive feelings of stress and anxiety.  – If you need an IT guy for your project, “call me!!!”

Get a hobby

“Do you mean those little guys from Lords of the Rings?”

Much in line with my previous point, getting a hobby will help your mind disconnect a little and you will start spending more time figuring out what you can do, how to do it, what you need to invest on… in some cases, it might lead you to spend a lot of time on YouTube trying to be better at that new craft. I speak for myself, I’m a collector and that ended up forcing me to understand and read a lot more about the items I collect, although this information ends up only being useful in conversations with other “guys like me”. – Long live the nerds!!

Get a magic cube or another puzzle

This one may seem the strangest, but it’s been proven to work. I usually have a magic cube near me and when I’m blocked for too long on something, I pick it up, undo it and start doing it all over again. How does this help? In the foreground your brain is just thinking about how to solve the cube, but in the background, it is coming up with possible solutions to your blockage! Our mind is just great isn’t?

“Hygienic Walk”

For many years I read about this concept in old books in the school library and I really thought it was a myth. I decided to investigate this, cross-referencing data from various authors and even managing to access the Vatican library to obtain unique information, hidden from everyone, on the oldest papyri dated from when writing was invented… Ok no, I have not gone that far even though this is a concept for “I’m going to stretch my legs, I’ll be right back!” that really intrigues me! It certainly was created by someone during home confinement with not much to do… Concept aside, getting out of the house and going for that walk can really bring you to your sanity. You’ll remember how outside air feels like and that legs are really meant for walking and not just for getting up from a chair to get water or biscuits. A 15-30 min every day saves lives! If the simple idea of ‘stretching your legs’ is not appealing enough for you and if you love photography like I do, you can always take the camera and capture some unforeseen city pictures of streets where you could barely see the color of the walls with so many tourists before!

Go ahead! Go for that hygienic walk and don’t forget to take the fashion accessory of the moment: the mask! “Buy it now! The first 200 calls get a bottle of pure Alentejo air for free!”

 

Conclusion

As all good things come to an end, this article is now ending and I leave you with one last suggestion, which is none other than, make things in your day-to-day life as close as possible to what your routine looked like. If before you had to shower and dress up to go to work, do that, it gives you a feeling that things haven’t changed that much. If you have an outdoor space, work, or have a meal from there, schedule a Friday virtual “Beer” with friends, create space for interaction with your people. Above all, don’t let yourself get down. At the first sign that something doesn’t feel right, try to consult specialized professionals to help you or talk to your friends and family.

And now… the music enters, and we hear the boy saying, “Find out in the next episode of Dragon Ball!”