Share this post on social media
La Española Olive Oil UK logo
Background Image
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Staying at home: Working at home

Staying at home: Working at home

2020-04-17

Not everyone is used to working from their house. It can be tricky to establish a new routine and slip into productive cycles.

The ongoing message from experts and authorities in these unprecedented times is stay at home. In doing so, we’re all doing our bit to slow the spread of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and keep our families safe. But as we’ve found recently, this brings with it a whole host of challenges and opportunities, from entertaining young children to keeping fit and healthy. 

But what about those of you working from home? 

While for some, a day at home is just another day in the office, not everyone is used to working from their house. It can be tricky to establish a new routine and slip into productive cycles and healthy rhythms.

Rather than dwell on the difficulties, we're using this blog post to help you and your family find positive new routines for staying healthy and happy at home. In this part of our Staying at Home series, we’ll be looking at little tips and tricks you can use to make working from home all the easier.  

1) Commute to your home office! 

How long does it normally take you to get to work? It may be tempting to take those extra minutes to linger lazily a little longer in bed. However, in the interest of starting your day on the right foot and giving yourself a feel-good boost of productiveness, we recommend making the most of your normal commute time with something constructive.

From podcasts to painting to calling a family member for a catch up, you could use your normal commute time to practise some ‘self-care’. Perhaps fit in a daily dose of physical activity or meditation. You could even spend time meal prepping or treating yourself to an extra special breakfast! 

2) Control your distractions!

Trying to concentrate within the comfort of your home can be very difficult. Let’s face it, there are distractions such as TV and music, and a fridge sat in the periphery! Try to minimise the amount of things that interrupt your workflow by establishing structure and setting rules for yourself. 

We’d also recommend that you limit consumption of news. While the media coverage may be 24/7 it doesn’t mean that it requires our attention 24/7. Once in the morning and again in the evening should be enough to stay up-to-date. Stress has a huge impact on our physical and mental health (usually without us realising) so it’s also good to avoid unnecessary doom and gloom!
Likewise for social media - make sure you unplug from the distracting world online to get your work done… but do come back to see us on your lunch breaks! La Española’s Facebook and Instagram pages are the perfect places to pick up some foodie inspiration! 

3) Get yourself some Headspace!

There are plenty of places to turn to if you’re in need of a little reassurance or room to think. Time taken to control your breathing or focus your mind can go a long way towards improving productivity when working at home. Mindfulness has long been a hot topic among our communities, especially when it comes to food!

Headspace have extended their offering to those feeling the effects of COVID-19. In light of recent events, the mindfulness gurus have currently unlocked some meditations for home working with plenty of resources on how to manage your mental health with all that’s going on. You can find more here: Headspace for your workplace. 

4) Working from Home: Our team’s top tips and tricks!

We asked the wider La Española team for their input on ways to work effectively at home. The advice was great - we’re glad to hear that they’re all coping well with the change! Here’s a few of our highlights...

“Continue eating as you would at work – have set meals and avoid over snacking. Structure is the key.” – Itxaso Oleaga, International Marketing Manager of La Española

“Take items from your desk home to replicate your working environment as much as possible. Little things like plants, mouse mats, wrist supports and ornaments can make all the difference!”  - Alberto González, Digital Marketing Assitant of La Española.

“Break up your day! When at work we have meetings or coffee breaks to do this. Don’t try to work solidly from 9-5pm.” - Naira Rodríguez, Digital Marketing Assistant of La Española. 

“Stop working at your regular time and, if you have set up your ‘office’ at home, take time to put away all paper, pens and tidy your space. This will help prevent the lines blurring between work and non-work!” -  Lola Téllez, Visual Designer of La Española.

“Get dressed in your normal work clothes, shower/brush your teeth and follow your usual routine before sitting down to work.” - Chris Bolton, Community Manager of La Española

Top advice from a top team! Do you have any suggestions of your own to help those working from home? Come join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram and have your say!