You know it. The feeling of your day running together. Waking up, asking yourself - should I shower today? Glancing at your calendar to see what video calls you need to be on - that being the deciding effort factor of your appearance for the day. No video meetings today – sweet! Put on sweats, pour your joe and strut over to your computer. Still on from a late night before, you touch the mouse and it’s right where you left it – on the email draft about the latest launch.
Before you know it, you are back in the computer vortex unaware of your physical surroundings. And with the blink of your eye, you look around and realize you’re sitting in the dark - your signal to close down for the day. You haven’t thought about dinner. In fact, did you eat lunch today? Your stomach answers that for you and you grab the easiest way to quiet it and crash onto the couch. Flipping through the channels for awhile, you grab your drink of choice and pick your phone up, responding to a few work emails on there and get lost in the phone vortex. You doze off in front of the tv before heading to bed.
This running together. Melting from one moment to the next. Your energy is drained, your motivation and creativity seem to be gone. You’ve reached a point of comfort in this monotony you are starting to wonder if you will always be like this?
It’s not hard to see how you got here. This pandemic caused an immediate jolt in how you work. The stress of the emergency at first had everyone in survival mode. From there, it turned into prolonged weeks of wondering when it would go back to normal, back to the office. And those weeks turned into months and soon to be a year.
Will it ever be the same again?
All of these things to ponder and no promises to anything.
But what if you are ready to shift? What if you are tired of melting through the day? Feeling drained, dragging and exhausted?
This is where the power of intention comes into play.
Having intention simply means that you are focused on something.
When you are working in an office, there is a clear ceremony to start and end your day that happens in your commute to and from work. Working from home, you no longer have that physical change taking place to signify the start and end to that ceremony. Without that ceremony - intention is key.
The first place you want to focus on intention is the start of your day. What are you doing to differentiate waking up at home from logging in to work? How can you make this intentional? Routine works for many. Perhaps you have a morning routine where you shower, drink a cup of coffee and meditate before getting dressed for the day. These are physical clues that you aren’t in work mode yet. You are in the self-nourishing mode setting yourself up for the best day possible. What about the mental intentions around your morning? Where does your mindset need to be for this morning routine time?
Moving into work. How can you be intentional here? Do you need to move your laptop to the table for the day instead of sitting on the couch? What do you need to do physically to get in this space? What about mentally here? Do you decide to put your phone across the room to prevent distraction? Do you need to gather all your beverages and snacks before you sit down so you can be present? What do you need to be intentional?
Lunch time/breaks. These are critical times that are most often sacrificed. Now, more then ever – it’s imperative that you lean into your breaks and lunch. How can you do this with intention? Find a stopping point in your day, set a timer for how long you will be recharging and honor that time. Tune into what you need during these times. Do you need some fresh air? Perhaps you need a conversation to connect with someone? A delicious lunch away from your home? Tap into what’s calling to you and intentionally lean into that.
Ending your day is the biggest transition of all. If no where else, let this be the main focus of intention for you. Make this transition a ceremony. What can you do here intentionally to move from work mode to home mode? Do you need a list recap to set you up for the next morning? Perhaps you tidy up your workspace. Changing your physical appearance really helps here as well. What if you simply said to yourself, “I am done with work for the day?”
Intention. Simply put - being focused on something. This is a profound way to lift your monotonous days up. To feel more energized and productive. Moving from melting through the day and night to one with clarity and focus. Try it out and see how it shifts your day.
Author: Taylor Short
Taylor Short is the CEO of Harmonious Return. As a ‘Job Reset’ Coach, she helps her clients move from feeling exhausted and overwhelmed to energized and fulfilled, without leaving their job. Want more inspiration like this? Schedule a Free Discovery Call HERE.