How my whole life improved while working from home

For most of 2016 and 2017 I enjoyed a lifestyle that suited my personality and helped me get back on track, where I had previously let things slide.

It all started in 2016 when my work circumstances changed and I had to work between home and our regional office in Cape Town. My job security wasn’t guaranteed and I also had to move house around the same time. I was anxious to say the least.

Little did I know that this would be a good life lesson.

It needed to be as close to the office as possible because I don’t enjoy long daily commutes. I quickly found an apartment double the rent of my old place but also double the size. With no change in income and my questionable job security, I just hoped for the best down the line.

The greatest appeal of the apartment was that it was brand new and I was the first tenant, so I very quickly felt comfortable and at home. It’s also really spacious compared to my previous place, which was cramped and best described as makeshift.

Proximity to restaurants, the mall and other amenities also contributed to my happiness. It’s nice when life feels easy.

Our Cape Town office was only half a kilometre from my new home but I didn’t need to go in every day because I worked exclusively with head office in Johannesburg. So I mixed it up and worked from home some days. Going to the office was more for a change in scenery.

I loved the flexibility. If my designs weren’t looking good and I felt restless or sluggish at home, I’d dress up, enjoy a scenic walk to the office and my mood would shift and the work would get done.

To make my walks more interesting, I’d often walk through the mall on the way home. I’d pick up supper and I usually knew about all the latest sales. I loved the lifestyle!

This became my favourite space.

My previous desk was tiny and I’d often move it around because I really hated working while facing a wall. It could only fit a laptop and mouse and I’d keep all my paperwork in a file on my bookshelf. But my new desk could fit a monitor and 2 laptops, plus office supplies and even my meals.

Having a proper workspace greatly improved my enthusiasm and productivity. I think it’s important to create that space — whether it’s your couch or in bed or a cafe — or you mix it up every day. Different environments suit different people and when you find it, you feel the difference.

I don’t gym or exercise or diet — and I buy lunch and supper every day. Before moving house, my work and home weren’t within walking distance and I used a car to get around. So when I moved to the new place, the opportunity to be less lazy presented itself.

I moved during autumn and it was already cold but I walked around a lot. Maybe I walked faster because it was cold. With additional spaces to clean around the house and more places to walk to, I didn’t realise but I’d started to lose weight and my breathing improved.

I also found joy in decorating my new home and I had better food options compared to the office canteen. Browsing (not buying) clothes and fragrances made me happy. Simple stuff like the sun on my face and a Table Mountain view made me relaxed and calm.

My entire well-being improved and, completely effortlessly, I dropped dress sizes and felt healthier.

Everyone’s different and what works for me, may not work for you. So whether you’re working from home or an office or a cafe, I think it’s important to figure out what works best for you and try to create an environment or lifestyle that’s in harmony with your ideals.

Here’s how it worked for me:

It was the best!

I plan my week on a Sunday for the week ahead. But every night I revise a more detailed to-do list for the next day. I never write a to-do list in the morning. Never ever!

So that means, I could either sleep-in that morning or start work at 9am.

9am: Eat breakfast and check all my email accounts and respond to anything that’s urgent.

9.30am — 12 noon: Focused work, from home. My breaks would include loading the washing machine or dryer or something similar. If I was working at the office, I’d usually go in from 11am to 3pm.

12.30–3.30pm: Time for a walk to enjoy the outdoors, browse store windows and buy lunch. Back home, I’d have lunch while watching a series/movie.

3.30pm-6pm: Check mail and respond. Deal with urgent queries. Then, depending on my mood, I’d either work for an hour or two or browse online or watch more tv or watch tutorials online.

6pm: Dinner & Catch up with family/friends.

9pm — 1am: This is when I work best. I get so much done — accurately and of higher quality — and if I disappeared for the next 24 hours, my clients would have more than enough to keep them happy and busy. While some people enjoy getting stuff done during the quiet hours from 5am, the night shift is my equivalent.

Bedtime: I usually alternate between a 9 minute, 20 minute or 30 minute meditation before sleeping, depending on my mood. Sometimes I’ll do it during the day instead of bedtime — and there were even times I’d do it while at my desk at work.

The above plan wasn’t how every single day was spent but it was the most common. Some days I’d work 10 hours — 3 hours in the morning and then another 7 hours from about 5pm. I’d enjoy daylight and make the best of my mind at night.

And then there were also other days where I only worked about 3 hours and spent the rest of the day as I pleased.

I was contracted to my employer’s client, so I had to go to their office every day. It was only a twenty minute drive but I missed my walks and the flexible life I had created.

The workload was highly manageable so I still took Friday’s off, unless there were meetings. And sometimes I even worked from home on Monday’s or when needed. I was usually at the office between 10.30am and 3pm and got most of my work done during those hours. In retrospect, I now realise that the environment was perfect for focusing and getting things done. Between 3pm and 5pm I went home, took a stroll, relaxed and had dinner.

Very rarely did I ever need to work more than one to two hours in the evening, which meant that I had a lot of free time to do as I pleased.

Over the years I’d often talked about working from home or a flexible work arrangement but I never really knew if it would be as I’d imagined. There are, after all, at least a dozen distractions at home but I can’t think of one negative habit I picked up during those two years.

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