As remote work and school progress, are you still finding yourself working from bed?

It’s been over a year of life in a pandemic. You may be working remotely, finishing up classes online or maybe you have been 100% remote your whole professional and educational career. As you can assume, working from bed

decrease your productivity

decrease your quality of sleep

decrease your daily energy 

4 tips to avoid working from bed.

Create a workspace. This will allow your brain to associate work with this workspace. No matter what your living space looks like, having an area for you to work is important. This could mean purchasing a desk, turning the dining table into a desk, making a nook in the corner, or whatever excites you most. Make sure space is inviting & inspiring for you so that when you get up for work, you want to go to the desk. 

Have the necessary tools on your desk. Depending on what your daily priority looks like, make sure your workspace has the necessary tools. I always need a notebook on my right and try to leave it there every night. If you have a lot of papers, have a filing system on your desk! If you are jumping from class to homework to class, try a calendar above your desk or always up on another monitor to keep you on time.

1. Ask yourself:

   1. Does this space invite me in?

   2. Am I able to do my work comfortably?

   3. Can I access everything I need?

Change out of your pajamas. Whether you need to layout your outfit the night before or create it in the morning, make sure to change out of what you slept in.

Have a morning routine. Build a morning ritual/practice/routine that works for you. Whether it be 5 minutes or an hour, make it part of what you do when you wake up. Ideally, a part of this practice gets you out of the bedroom and workspace area as well. So that when you return, you are less likely to return to bed. 

Harsha Helps Twist

Now I know we are all human and sometimes we want to work from bed or its been a tough day energetically or emotionally. That is okay. Here’s how you can make working from bed work from you:

1. Change out of your pajamas. Still get dressed for the day.

2. Eat your breakfast away from bed to signal to your brain you are returning to work.

3. Limit the technology you bring to bed. Try to only have your laptop so that your phone does not become a distraction in bed, reducing your productivity.

4. Have a nice view. Are you looking at a clean room? Wall art? Let it inspire you. Really enjoyed Donna’s guide on wellness in the home and improving your view.

5. Time block! Try the Pomodoro method and get out of bed in the breaks. I use timeular for this.

6. Do individual work. Take calls at a desk if possible so that you can fully focus and not let the energy of the calls carry into your sleep area.

7. When it comes time to sleep, make sure to clean up the bed, avoid any technology, and prepare a nighttime routine.

If I am feeling low one day and just want to work from bed, I try to focus on catching up on emails, auditing and so forth. I avoid calls from bed as much as possible.

Summary

1. Create an inviting workspace that makes you not want to work in bed.

2. Have access to everything you need at this workspace.

3. Get dressed for the day!

4. Create a morning routine outside of the bedroom.

5. If you have to work from bed, make sure to limit the time and allow for individual tasks only. 

Action Steps

Don’t have a workspace? This week try to carve out a place in your home for you. Have fun with it. Make sure it reflects you and excites you to come and work.

Already have a workspace? Check it out. When was the last time you used it? What isn't working for you? Try cleaning it up or adding a few decor/organizational touches.

Find a balance. Try to be at your desk 3 days a week to start and see how it feels. You will notice what is not working for you on the desk.

Make your bed every morning and change out of your pajamas!