Welcome to the third and final installment of one-with-the-WFH tips! In part one, “Be One with the #WFH: How to Work Remotely like an Interact Jedi Master,” we talked about the new world of remote work and Jedi mind tricks to rock virtual working. In part two, “The Remote Workers Strike Back: How to Work Out like a #WFH Interact Jedi,” the Interact team talked about WFH tools to boost mental, physical and emotional awesome.
Now, get ready to open your mind with burnout-busting WFH tips from our super creative team.
9. Think Outside
“I like to go outside!” says our Project Coordinator Brittany Jansen, who keeps our workflows smooth from Wisconsin.
Dialing in some great outdoors time can actually help you think outside of the box, according to Psychology Today. Nature can help “reboot” overloaded minds, and being out in the open air can also open us up to new ideas.
“I sometimes take little breaks to get some fresh air and get out of the house,” says Brittany. “Whenever the weather is nice, I eat lunch in my backyard.”
10. You’ve Got to Fight… For Your Right… to Fika!
“I like to start my day with coffee on our deck,” says Vice President Project Management Andrew Hughes, who’s also a Wisconsin singer-songwriter by night.
Taking a quality coffee break can help recharge our minds. In fact, one of the biggest challenges for remote workers is fighting overwork and burnout. According to one survey by Monster, half of polled telecommuters were mentally fried, yet 52% had zero plans to take a break.
To this, we say, why not be like Andrew and finagle a little “fika” every day? This unique Swedish phrase roughly translates to a coffee break, but unlike the American version of caffeine guzzling, fika is all about maxing out your chill out.
Major corporations in Sweden know that regular breaks translate to happier, more productive employees. Some even make a twice-a-day fika mandatory, where staff sip and relax away from their workstations. BTW, Sweden comes in 12th for the most productive country. Just saying.
And who wouldn’t want to kick-back at Café Andrew’s magical forested backyard, located between the Mississippi River and the Great Bluffs? “Something about the smell of coffee and the outdoors puts me in the right mindset to start my day off right!” says Andrew.
11. Creativi-tea
“My creative work generally starts with a cup of coffee or tea,” says our Senior Copywriter Michael Mahin, Ph.D. He says the mindful mug helps him mentally prep for writing.
“Even now that I’m a published children’s author, confronting the blank page can still be difficult. (Writing is hard!) But this ritual makes it a bit easier.”
He says that routines like this are the norm among high achievers and artists to help them get into a creative headspace.
To wit: The famous painter Georgia O’Keefe started her days by drinking tea and watching the sunrise, which sounds pretty peaceful. And then, there’s the French novelist Honoré de Balzac, who drank 50 cups of coffee a day to commune with his muses… which we don’t totally recommend!
“By using such a ritual, it triggers your brain to ‘shift gears’ into whatever task your ritual is associated with,” says Michael, whose daily drink gives him the fortitude to face the page.
“For me, a ritual basically translates into helping me put my butt in my chair.”
Written by Interact’s California-based Copywriter Rachel Rosen-Carroll, who writes her first drafts from a tent in her backyard. Tip #12: Working in a “toffice (tent office)” can help you combine a lot of these tips into one, especially when your dog comes to visit. Indeed, large portions of this blog were written in ye olde toffice. Since writing this blog, Rachel has done more jumping jacks (thank you, Angela!) and has taken more time to commune with her border collie fuzzy buddy (thank you, Wyatt and Mai!) to beat stress and stay at her best.
Calm in the Time of COVID
We hope our Zen, fun, and slightly wacky tips were helpful… or at least entertaining. What were your favorite #WFH tips? Please let us know on Facebook and LinkedIn.
