How to Pretend You're at The Hivery While Working from Home
I’ve never been great at working from home. In fact, it was that realization that was a catalyst in creating The Hivery. It was when I took a conference call from my master bathroom’s shower stall that I knew something had to give. The dog was barking, the kids were yelling, and yet my conference call had to go on. So, I got as far away from everyone as I could to finish the call, and sadly for me, that was the floor of the glass-enclosed shower. As I sat legs crossed on the shower floor, fully dressed with my laptop in my lap, I knew at that point that working from home wasn’t my gig, at least all the time.
“I noticed that when I felt lonely, I was also more likely to feel insecure, directionless, and lose.”
In addition to the cafe trolling, picking up wifi from the Starbucks parking lot, and always feeling the distraction of the laundry and other responsibilities, there was a noticeable emotion that was much more important…and that was loneliness. I noticed that when I felt lonely, I was also more likely to feel insecure, directionless, and lose touch with my worth. As I think back to how those feelings impacted my creativity, innovative thinking, and willingness to create authentic work, it was a far greater hindrance than I even realized.
Now as we’re faced with quarantines and lockdowns, all in the best interest of keeping us safe, I’m re-looking at what used to go so wrong when I worked from home, and how I can use my learnings from The Hivery to make it feel a little more right. Since we have to stay home, here are my top ten tips and truths that I’ve learned through The Hivery that can be applied to making WFH feel a bit more like a day at The Hivery.
#1 Stay connected (daily). Human beings thrive on connection and when we don’t have it, it can literally affect our health. Reach out to friends. Jump on a Zoom call for virtual coworking. Start an accountability group or join The Hivery’s Virtual Membership. We crave to share experiences with other humans and doing this can actually improve the quality of our work and emotional wellbeing. Share victories, challenges, fears, and ask for help if you need it. This will force all of us to get creative AND to value our friendships. I’ve started texting my close friends every day and telling them how much I miss them. Did I do this as frequently pre-quarantine? Um, no. Does it feel good to tell them I love them daily? Well, yes, it really really does.
#2 Create a regular schedule (including getting dressed). Your schedule doesn’t need to be a color-coded masterpiece. And it doesn’t need to include home-schooling your kids on a foreign language that you don’t speak. It simply needs to include getting up, working, resting, connecting, loving and going to bed at a decent time. Don’t overthink it, but if you’re typically up and dressed by 8 am, let’s keep that going so we can feel in flow.
#3 Build in exercise and meditation breaks. Now more than ever. You will need to feel sunlight on your face. You will need to move throughout the day. If you’re feeling down or scared, it might be tempting to just curl up on the couch. Tend to yourself like you would a child…schedule time for fresh air, play, rest and deep breaths. A “six feet apart” walk with a friend can be a game-changer!
#4 Create sacred space for your work (and it’s not your bed). Allow your workspace to be beautiful. Clean your surfaces, clear the clutter and only add things to your work environment that bring you joy. I brought a Hivery sign home so that I can feel the energy of The Hivery flowing through my work. I have a clean desk set up in our family room with yellow flowers in a vase, a picture of my family, and yes my requisite candle. I light a candle every morning with my coffee and I’m now enjoying a candle while I work. Tend to the details. Follow your inner-artist. Make your workspace a beautiful celebration of you and your potential. This doesn’t require any purchasing. Just clearing, tidying, and thoughtful curation of the objects that inspire you and bring you joy. Marie Kondo will be proud.
My Space at home
#5 Assign yourself clear/achievable tasks to complete throughout the day. I’m still a fan of the post-it with only three action items on it per day. You need to feel like you’re making progress. I’m currently working on the three tasks per day system and it feels good to cross those three things off. One of them yesterday was to find stamps. Check. Small is okay. Celebrate each thing. Small victories matter during times like these.
#6 Brain work in the morning; busy work in the afternoon. For many people, the morning is when our creative brains are firing on all cylinders. Set aside that time as precious deep work time. Allow 30-minutes of your morning (or your best creative time) to be expressive and in flow, whether that’s writing, brainstorming, designing, or creating new offers for your business. You’ll have the afternoon to clean your inbox, organize files, and other mindless tasks. We can report back to each other on this 30-minutes of morning soul work on the private FB group. I’ll let you know what comes out for me!
#7 Create routines based on the weekday. I love Financial Friday. Or, Writing Wednesdays or Tax Tuesdays. Setting aside a day of the week to commit to certain tasks means you don’t have to worry about them on the other days. My “Financial Fridays” have allowed me to set aside time on Fridays for bill-pay, budgeting, and projections. I set aside time every Wednesday to look at things my kids might need help with (rescheduling ACT, preparing for driving test, etc). When I’m feeling anxious about things that are undone in that category, I add it to my list for that day so that I can worry less about it on the other days.
#8 Work outside. Grab your laptop or your journal and get yourself outside. If it’s not raining or snowing, allow a bit of your workday to be in nature. This is my tried-and-true trick for getting out of writers’ block. Change the scenery.
#9 Make your coffee/tea breaks “pretty” and connected. Who says you can’t have spa water at home? Why not have a tray of assorted teas at your desk? Thoughtfully curate your teas and amenities so that you can take a break in Hivery-style. Set up a Zoom coffee chat with friends or create a tea ritual as part of your workday.
#10 Use this time for all of those things you’ve been meaning to get to. Whether it’s setting up your bath or cleaning out your file cabinet. Or creating the meditation altar. Or writing that darn book that has been begging to come out. Staying productive AND focusing on self and family care can make a big difference in how we feel. Create a routine for self-care that takes more time than you might normally dedicate. These work-from-home times can include long bathtub breaks. When have we had so much spacious time? We can finally stop saying we’re too busy.
I for one have already color-coordinated a book shelf and cleaned out my desk. And you know what? It didn’t make all of this go away, but it felt good. And, I’ll take that right now.
With all of these suggestions and ideas, the most important one is to remember this…you are not alone. Let’s keep doing what we normally do…lifting each other up. Staying true to the path forward. Keeping creativity at the forefront.
“You are not alone.”
We are kind. We are creative. And, we are together.
Grace XO
PS... We are creating a webpage to share ways that everyone can support small businesses and members of The Hivery Community! Take a few minutes to fill out this form and let us know how we can support and work with you during this time.
PPS… We’d love to stay connected with you! Check our events schedule for virtual coworking days, collaboration sessions, and other ways to connect with community from home.