Maybe you read my first post, 6 Ways to Work From Home and Stay Sane. Or maybe not. In any case, people asked me what other ideas I had for staying sane. So here are some ideas that you might find useful.
Unplug the Phone
If you’re like me, you have Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and all kinds of apps and texts (and phone calls!) all vying for your attention from your smart phone. To stay sane, put the phone away somewhere when you go to sleep. I leave the phone in another room (not the room where I sleep). Yes, I know you’re thinking you could never do that. But you really can! Think back a few years to when you either didn’t have a smart phone, or you didn’t have every app under the sun running on your phone. You can do it! It has helped me sleep better.
Get Fancy Sheets
You’ve read about how you spend one third of your life in bed, right? Well, how about getting yourself some really fantastic Bedding? For me, Garnet Hill‘s flannel sheets are fantastic! (No, I don’t work for them!) They’re really soft and cozy, especially in the wintertime. And they make me look forward to going to sleep. They seem to get softer the more I wash them. Or maybe you like 600 thread count European sheets. The point is to get bedding you really love.
Exercise
Exercise might seem like an obvious road to sanity, but so many people don’t exercise at all. When I started thinking of exercise as part of my job every single day, my sleep improved immensely, and my mood improved, too. Now I can’t imagine not exercising. For me, six days a week works. It’s one of those “simple-but-not-easy” routines. I love cycling, so I do some form of cycling or spin classes on most days, plus weight training and stretching. Pilates and yoga are in the schedule, too, twice a week. But I have to confess: that sixth day? I have to drag myself to the gym.
Reduce Visual Clutter
When there’s too much junk on my desk, I tend to get a little crazy. What about you? It’s like all those things have voices, and they’re all wanting my attention. So filing the paper or putting away the Post-it notes, the pens, the spare nickles and stuff, keeps me focused and sane.
Use a Timer
Some of my friends make fun of me for using an egg timer. Yes, it’s an actual egg timer that ticks. I set it for 5 or 10 minutes or whatever time I need to focus on something. The ticking keeps me focused, for some reason.
Keep a Daily To-Do List
Again, this is obvious. Eric Lofholm, the sales trainer, suggests using the 14-minute rule, and carving out time first thing in the morning (you can use the egg timer–exciting!) When I write my to-do list, the day goes a lot smoother. Everything is scheduled, prioritized, and more tends to get done than on the days when I don’t have a formal list.
What Helps You Maintain Sanity?
Do you work from home? Are you a social person? Let me know by leaving a comment!
The Egg Timer is such an awesome old-school tool. I use that when I get ready for work in the morning so I’m not late and I can easily see how much time is left.
I recently just moved my post-it notes from the front of my cabinet to inside of the cabinet door for the same reason; they were ideas I wanted to keep but not important but kept agitating me.
I have to answer the phone at work (part of my job) but if I’m writing, I close my email program. That seems to help keep me focused a lot.
Cheers for the great tips. Keep up the blogging.
The Egg Timer is great, and particularly for people who are auditory. Listening seems to be a forgotten art ~ sometimes listening to the radio is great just because there is no visual aspect to distract, and we get to create our own pictures–in our heads. Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I really appreciate it!
Well, I don’t work from home, however, I do need to keep my sanity and I agree with all of your ideas! I especially agree with keeping a to-do list. As you said it keeps you focused and you can make the most of your time! One thing I definitely to work on is the clutter! I think my whole life is in need of a de-clutter! ….one of these days!
Hello Brett,
Funny you should mention clutter. Today I had someone in to help with my in box. It had started to overflow and it was time to call in the Cavalry! What a relief it is to have less clutter. It’s like a huge weight being lifted off your shoulders. Best luck with your de-cluttering! Thanks for commenting. :-)
You need more daylight and sunshine Aidan :)
Most people do need more daylight and sunshine. Thanks, David, for stopping by!