How to kick unhealthy work habits: quit your job. Ha! Just kidding. I love my job but I won’t pretend that it’s all glamorous at-home office and coffee shop social hour. No matter where you work, but especially from home, it’s easy to fall into a routine of bad, unhealthy habits. Even if you’re thinking in terms of your side projects or productivity in blogging part-time, these can sneak up on you. (Note, I tried to stay away from the basic “take a break when you need it” advice, as I’m sure you’ve heard it. Plus, if you have a huge workload or crazy schedule, lots of practical things don’t apply.) The trick is to beat the harmful habits for good, so you can succeed and enjoy doing it!
Unhealthy Work Habit #1
Checking email from bed each morning. No one wakes up 100% ready to greet the day. This can be unhealthy because we don’t give ourselves time to collect our thoughts, set an intention, or even eat breakfast before diving into work. My solution lately has been this: set a time you won’t check email until. For me it’s 8am. I have several inboxes on my phone, so it’s hard not to jump right in when those annoying notifications are there first thing. Usually when people are emailing before 8am, they want you to see it first thing. That does not mean it’s urgent or an emergency! If I don’t reply until 8 in my job, no one will be upset. Set a reasonable time that won’t make or break your work, but allows time between the alarm going off and beginning work.
Unhealthy Work Habit #2
Skipping meals. When I’m on a roll, I skip meals. I either totally forget or am at a cafe with only pastries and coffee. Enter the 4pm splitting headache and fatigue. Planning is key for people like us. To break this habit, have a plan the night before. Especially if you’re not a whip-up-something on the fly type of person. If I have a plan for breakfast, I’ll get up on time and make it. And if I know approximately what time I’d like to stop for lunch, I’ll make sure to leave the coffee shop workspace for a lunch cafe, or head home to prepare some sort of roasted veggie dish, which is about the only healthy thing I know to make. Oh and dinner–when I have a recipe on my mind, it makes me more eager to get work finished at a reasonable hour. :) Bottom line, have a plan!
Unhealthy Work Habit #3
Working until work is done, not until you are done. Earlier this year when I was working way too much, I used to hate reading these self-care posts that would say to create a normal work day for yourself as a freelancer, and sign off at a certain time in the evening. So I won’t tell you to abandon important deadlines if you really need to make them! That’s a luxury some people have, but not many business owners or freelancers or those in a demanding corporate position. But I will say that the work has to end at some point. Here’s how I broke this habit of never signing off, though: Now, around 4pm, I review my to-do list. I’m totally over ambitious so it’s usually halfway done. I’ll see what is still a MUST do before tomorrow, and highlight those. Then I’ll take a break for a walk or workout, and that evening I’ll finish those urgent tasks. Everything else waits until the next day.
It’s a compromise that often still means late nights, but not total burnout or completely unrealistic expectations.
Would you like more tips geared toward freelancers + those who work from home? Let us know if you find this helpful!
Notebook: c/o Hadron Epoch
Carrie says
I’m guilty of skipping meals when I’m in the middle of getting things done. It’s such a bad habit! I’m taking your advice and planning my breakfast the night before.
Carrie | http://carrieelise.com/
Kassandra says
This is me also!
Audrey | Brunch at Audrey's says
As a compulsive email checker, I know I need to get better about #1. I haven’t thought of #3 in that way before. I’m definitely going to have to keep that in mind from this moment forward! -Audrey | Brunch at Audrey’s
Angela says
I’m really crazy about checking the email notifications on my phone. I figured if I can at least wait till later in the morning, I’ll feel better. Hope the tips help!
Jessica says
I always forget to eat lunch and am frequently pulling out my laptop to keep working around eight or nine each night. It definitely increases burnout and ruins the off-time I have with my husband when he gets home from work. But I still can’t seem to kick the habit because I feel like there is always more to be done and I really want my blog to succeed. Here’s hoping I’ll be able to stick to a tighter schedule (and work harder during the days so I don’t have to at night) in the New Year!
Jess | jessedelblut.com
Cecile Vedemil says
It hapens to me all the time, I am a student and I skip meals when I’m completely concentrated… It is really bad and I need to cut it out.
Great post :)
xx Cecile / http://www.wednesday19th.blogspot.com
Natalie says
I’m really trying my best to kick number one. I’ve got a real alarm clock to try and reduce the temptation of my phone being the first thing I touch
– Natalie
http://www.workovereasy.com
Joan says
I’m going to bookmark this page and reference it often so I can have a little reminder. I love the projects that I work on sometimes and just want to see them through until completion. I think taking a step back before burning yourself out is never a bad idea.
-Joan
http://www.swaagcaat.com/