Morning self-care routine (especially if you’re WFH)

I’ve been working from home for a solid seven months now. WFH was something very new to me, never having worked fully remote before, and not planning for this happening. It was a difficult transition that I’m still working through.

Finding the self-control and discipline to sit down at my desk at home, alone, for 8 hours and focus on working wasn’t the norm. I’m accustomed to being surrounded by coworkers on all sides, having regular meetings where we can socialize, and taking visits to the coffee machines with small chit chat along the way.

Going from this open environment with shared office spaces, kitchen spaces and team meeting rooms where you are constantly around friendly people, to sitting in my home office space staring at the screen all day felt weird.

At first, it was kind of exciting to be able to sleep a little later and not have to put on jeans or do my makeup. Soon, though, I started to really miss the company of others, and it affected my mental health. I knew it was time to figure out a self-care routine.

Schedules are important

My solution? Procrastinate absolutely forever and then eventually create a list. I’m a huge list person, they keep me somewhat organized and I like the accomplished feeling that comes with crossing an item off once it’s done.

I definitely feel the anxiety creeping back up if I don’t follow some sort of routine. And when that happens, the whole day ends up less productive than it could have been, which completely bums me out. I thought I’d try making a list for myself in the morning so that I have an actual routine to stick to not only throughout the day but starting it off as well.

This extra effort in the morning helps get me set up for a good day.

Morning self-care routine (especially if you’re WFH)

• Wake up at 7:00 am
  • Don’t snooze!
• Get a quick workout in
• Shower and brush teeth
• Do a skincare routine
  • Keep it simple if you want: wash & moisturize
• Put on real clothes
  • Say no to jammies all day, every day
• Tidy up small things around your home
• Enjoy a cup of coffee
• Watch an episode of your current binge-series
• Create a plan for the day or grab your list
• Get it done!