Tips & Tricks:

Working at
Home
• Work day
• Work place
• Work patterns

1
Work day

• Continue your routine – wash, get dressed. You don’t have to

clean the entire house.
• Get some exercise before your start. You will be more sedentary
than in the office. Its much harder to do at the end of the day.
• Eat like you would at the office.
• Avoid the refrigerator, if you can.
If not, put some healthy snacks
and drinks at the front
(pumpkin seeds, cashews
and chickpeas are high in zinc)
• Have office hours. It takes more
discipline.

2
Work place

• Have a “dedicated office” if you can.

• “Close the door” literally if you can, or makeshift with a screen or
even a decorative cordon.
• Ensure good lighting.
• At the end of the day, close-up shop, even if it means throwing a
blanket over your work space.

3
Work patterns
• Deliberately plan your day. It can be harder to focus and quiet your mind.
• Observe your natural energy and alertness cycles. Ultradian rhythm: 90- to
120-minute increments of energy/alertness, 15-minute break to recover
• “Chunk up” the day – 2 morning shifts, lunch break, 2 afternoon shifts
• Manage/bundle distractions - email, chores, stash of bones for the dog,
activities for the kids.
• In a pinch, try the Pomodoro Technique –
Use a kitchen timer and work in
25-minute increments with a 5-minute
break. After four 25-minute shifts,
take a longer break.
• Use a timer for your breaks too,
especially if you do chores,
play with the kids/pets.

4
CEA · Governing Board Meeting · December 11, 2019 5