Contents
Healthy guidelines in teleworking: what we do wrong and how to do it right
Healthy habits
It is important to establish emotional limits to successfully overcome our workday from home
If before the confinement derived from the coronavirus crisis the idea of working at home sounded idyllic for some, the teleworking “Forced” is not as pleasant as it seemed. The lack of space, the difficulty to define the schedules or the constant distractions are little by little adding reasons to make the working day more and more complicated.
The abrupt arrival of telework makes us have to adapt to the speed of light to it. Almost as a survival method, we have to learn to adapt a work routine that we have very assimilated to the four walls of our house. «Homes are designed for family life, and now we are forced to turn it into a workspace», Explains the sociologist Alicia Aradilla, author of the book« Teleworking, but well »(Diana). “COVID-19 left us with no transition time, no learning period and no manual under our arm,” he explains in the book.
Therefore, it is very important to assume certain routines from the beginning to cope with our workday at home in the best possible way. «Our thoughts and our mental patterns are the great challenge and at the same time our great resource to emerge unscathed from confinement and join us in activating everyday life when it ends, “explains the author. Therefore, it highlights the importance during these days, rather than acquiring habits, of acquire “rituals”. The author specifies that the ritual is the support of a good routine: we are faced with a strategy that allows us to increase emotional intelligence. “Instead of physical limits at home, we should set emotional limits,” he says.
Daily “rituals” to improve the day
He gives as an example a «ritual» that can be adopted daily at the end of our workday: «Yes, when we finish working, we stop for a moment and close the laptop while we are aware of it, we listen to the« click »it makes, we pay attention, and at that moment of consciousness we take a deep breath, this act helps us to move from one mental state to another, leave the time of work behind and enter into family time.
On the other hand, the sociologist explains that, although there are those who are lucky enough to have a room at home that they can dedicate to the field of work, many others must look for a space in any corner of the house. To compensate for this, he recommends having “mana items”, that is, ascribe symbolism to certain objects, a power that helps us associate this object with an emotional space, in this case that of work. “Having a good workspace helps us a lot, but in situations like this, it is essential to establish mental patterns,” he says.
Replicate everyday customs
«To create a«officia“We must create a workspace through mana objects, adopt” rituals “and follow a routine,” says Alicia Aradilla. This routine is essential for a good development of our workday. “Customs are very powerful”explains the author. For this reason, he recommends “feeding” our mind with customs that it already has associated with it. “If we get up and shower and dress like going outside, your mind understands that the day begins,” he says, emphasizing the idea of avoiding wearing pajamas during the day. «Pajamas are articles of clothing that we associate with rest, relaxation and not having an active mind. That is why it is important to wear street clothes », he specifies.
Another “danger” that we face during a telework day is the countless distractions that make our day difficult: the refrigerator, the television, our children or the mobile phone. For Alicia Aradilla, the best way to avoid and manage these is through task planning. “We know that our mind, after 45 minutes lowers its level of attention: we can set an alarm every now and then and rest a little,” he recommends.
Move the mobile away
Also, he says that putting the mobile in airplane mode, or moving it away from our table, to force us to get up if we want to use it, can also help us avoid its excessive use and waste time during working hours. «If you have to receive or make calls, you can leave the phone on a shelf, and maybe just use it at those times. By moving it away, we become aware of the moments that we use it and, in this way, we can better control its use, ”he says.
“There are two ‘secrets’ for teleworking to be successful: breathing and awareness,” says the sociologist and concludes: “If we learn to control breathing with the aim of helping us calm down and be aware of the actions we carry out during the day, we will not only be more productive, but also happier ».
Nutrition and teleworking: the importance of order
One of the dangers of teleworking is frequent visits to the refrigerator. If during a normal work day we sometimes have a small snack in the kitchen, at home it is easier to feel nervous or bored and run to the refrigerator in search of calm. Therefore, it is important to pay close attention to our diet if we find ourselves in a teleworking situation.
Dr. Jesús Román Martínez explains that we must start planning our food from the moment we make the purchase. In this way, we must focus on buying fresh and healthy food and spend some time thinking about our menu. Regarding those trips to the fridge, Dr. Martínez explains that, if they begin to be very frequent, it may be because we feel nervous or anxious. “If we feel that appetite, which is experienced in the head and not in the stomach, it is best to choose healthy foods: vegetable sticks, nuts (that are not fried) or pickles can be good options,” he explains.
Avoid excess calories
“For indulging ourselves one day nothing happens, the problem when we have been teleworking at home for two months and every day we indulge ourselves: if this is coupled with inactivity and excess calories, we will find ourselves in a disorder”, explains the professional. If this situation occurs, we will find that we not only gain fat, but that we lost muscle, which ends up having a negative metabolic consequence.
On the other hand, Dr. Martínez warns of the danger of taking in extra calories through drinking without realizing it. “We must drink mainly water, and if we want to drink other drinks, it must be in small quantities,” he explains.
To finish, he explains that we must try to eat as balanced a diet as possible, and make an effort in prior planning. «There are compulsory foods, such as daily fruits and vegetables», He comments. Also, remember the normal dish divided into four parts: “Half should be vegetables, four carbohydrates and a quarter protein.” “It is not necessary to be obsessed with cooking: there are frozen vegetables, canned legumes, they are easy, healthy and very healthy options,” he says.