No matter the look of your workspace, your mindset and routine (aka actions) drive your ultimate outcome.
Welcome back to my 3-part series about best practices for making working from home more fulfilling, sustainable, stimulating and enjoyable. In case you missed Part I about Savoring the Space Itself, feel free to jump back to learn why this topic is so important to me. (Please note, Parts II & III are not design-related, so if you’re here for the design content, regular programing will return next week!)
Quickly, before I get into Part II, Mindset & Routine, I feel called to recognize something…
In recent years, and especially in light of this pandemic, there has been an outpouring of supportive resources produced online - from e-books to podcasts to articles and blogs. The beauty is access to unlimited tricks and tips (many of which are free) to help us find our way in an uncomfortably uncertain time, but the downside can be an adoption of a “less-than” mindset.
Let’s take a self-care-focused blog post for example… halfway through reading it, if I’m not careful to stay in touch with my feelings, I can easily find myself internalizing the advice as “I’m failing because I haven’t been doing all these things”. With everything I take in, it’s essential I keep a pulse on “what’s serving me vs what’s not”, most especially the advice that doesn’t resonate with me on a deeper level.
Please keep this in mind as you venture into this post and others of mine - my only goal is to share from personal experience things that have helped me. Take what you want or none at all, the choice is yours!
Onward…
Mindset
The single most important asset to effectively tackling my responsibilities is my mindset. I’ve learned this by experiencing countless hours feeling creatively stifled and unproductive for weeks on end. It wasn’t until I dug into what some of my personal fears and self-limiting beliefs that I was able to correlate the importance of having a sound headspace to work from.
The thief of joy - and productivity, creativity, flow and fulfillment - in my case is self-comparison, internalized judgment, unrealistic expectations of myself, and striving for perfection. So here’s what I do to combat a negative headspace…
Cluing into what is clouding your mind is clarifying and beautiful, like this sunset!
Start by recognizing the “noise”.
If it’s external, like a negative comment or critique, take it in and look at it objectively. Ask a ton of questions - what’s accurate/right about this vs what of that negativity has to do with the experience/headspace THAT person is operating from? Recognize that everyone has their own shit - and theirs does not need to be yours. For years I allowed others opinions to play a very active role in my decision making, and it was paralyzing because at the end of the day, I can’t please everyone nor is it my responsibility to do so. Instead, I worked to trust my personal instincts again… lots of trial and error but it has led to a much thicker skin.
If it’s internal - which I have found 99% of my headspace battles to be - again, acknowledge the thought but then load up with questions. Why are you feeling this way? What source or situation is this coming from? What about it feels X (painful, embarrassing, upsetting, overwhelming, anxiety-inducing, etc.)? With these answers comes the ability to acknowledge and really feel the feeling, and do away with what’s not serving you. Depending on the source or situation this noise came from, question what you can do differently to not feel this way again.
For example, if I come to learn that I’m feeling low because of self-comparison after an hour long dive into someone’s Instagram, I make a conscious effort to disconnect for a while and/or steer clear of that person for a bit.
Be open to growth.
With recognizing and acknowledging the noise comes the need to look at why it’s so triggering. This is some of the most valuable work I’ve ever done - much of it has been with the guidance of a therapist, but I can’t recommend digging into your shit enough! Painful at times, but SO liberating and empowering when you stick with it - you get healing, forgiveness, lightened energy, self-assuredness. Working from home I found myself with a TON of time… with myself. That quiet space is an invitation to do some internal soul-searching. If you do it solo, be cognizant of the sources you’re working with… some are designed to sell more so than help. Leverage resources that feel true to you.
With growth comes many new tests - tests that challenge you to prove how committed you are to living from a headspace of clarity and empowerment. Lean into these challenges, they’ll feel like setbacks along the way but they’re designed to help you level up to becoming your best self.
With growth sometimes comes the need for shutting down relationships that hurt or no longer serve you. This is extremely difficult but powerful work.
Replace the noise with uplifting, feel-good messaging instead.
Our mindset is our own individual responsibility. Reliance on another person or group of people to make us happy is both disempowering and unfair. Journaling, therapy, repeating positive affirmations, and meditation are four tools I have found invaluable in my search for a stronger mindset and sense of self. (More on this to come in Part III.)
Change up your physical positioning.
Along with the internal processing techniques above, physical/location changes are a huge help. If I find myself feeling negative in a slumped down position on my couch, I stand up, stretch, perhaps take a shower or move to another spot within my space. The goal is to revive the energy flowing within the body.
Regain connectedness.
The lack of social interaction when we spend hours by ourselves naturally leads us to getting stuck in our own head. Break the cycle by reaching out to a friend, family member, neighbor, mentor, or whomever you appreciate/trust. A quick hit of social stimulation is a fantastic grounding technique.
Practice gratitude.
This is the only no-fail solution for changing your mindset from negative to positive. By focusing in on a few of the countless blessings we each have, we can instantly change our state. Second to introspection, this is the next most rewarding work I’ve ever done.
Routine
I have struggled with establishing a routine since day 1 of my transition to full-time working from home. Discipline with routine does not come naturally to me and truthfully I resist it. I love being free spirited and “go with the flow” is an inherent part of my nature, but that has not translated well when it comes to being productive OR maintaining a positive headspace.
What I’ve come to appreciate though, is everyone’s routine can look completely different. What works for me and my fluctuating attention span is far different than what works for some of my friends. Also, a routine should be a helpful tool, not a shameful one if it’s not stuck to… If you’re routine averse like I am, trial & error and baby steps…
Here are a few things I try to achieve within big, undefined blocks of time:
Decompressing at the end of a day is key to getting up and doing it all over again the next day. Setting boundaries with work is equally as important as finding ways to be productive.
Morning: start the day with a shower, put on real clothes, make the bed, hot water with lemon, listening to some jazz, maybe some journaling. Get my head on straight to tackle the day.
Mid-day: content creation / design work. Tackling my to-do list. Meetings, emails. Uplifting music.
Afternoon: listen to a growth-oriented podcast or read an article to expand my mind a bit or a call a friend - something to give my mind a break from work but keep me engaged and stimulated.
Late afternoon: Finish up one or two tasks that will make me feel like I had a very productive day. Tidy up my space and shut down my computer for the day.
Evening: a walk (my fave form of exercise :)) and relaxation - a bath, watch a show, dinner party, relax. This is me time/time with my husband.
One of the most powerful pieces of advice I’ve heard recently is - “create before you consume”. The consumption of social media and the unending content out there can be such an unproductive distraction. We think it’s inspiring but it often derails our success if not contained/capped. This has been such a helpful mantra for me lately.
Stay tuned for Part III where I will dive deeper into some of my favorite In-Home Wellness Practices… Until next time, I hope this helps somebody somewhere <3 If it does, let me know!! I LOVE hearing from you!
LG