Whether you’re an established freelancer (used to work anytime and everywhere) or you were forced to change your habits because of the pandemic’s multiple lockdowns (hey, here we are!), you may have noticed there has been a big change in the work industry lately.

It seems like we joined a new era, where people finally reached more independence in several areas of its life.

We found out that smart-working could have a lot of positive benefits. It gives you the opportunity to manage your time properly and keeps your mind flexible to adapt your schedule and face contingencies in an easier way. Especially if you have a family to take care of, it could be the best solution for who don’t want to miss the small joys of being a parent and gave to your toddler the constant attentions he deserves. On the other side, you may have noticed a serious difficulty to switch from working-time to relax-time.

It happens because the human mind tends to associate actions to places. It means that if we mix work and private life in one only place, we are led to confuse actions and we find difficult being 100% focused on the single ones. There is evidence that this process may hurt our mental health on the long run. That’s why finding the right way to manage our time became fundamental.

So, behave like our own boss and follow these few simple tips that will help you find the perfect balance between productivity and leisure:

 1. SET A ROUTINE

We know… you probably HATE this word as much as we do but we promise you’ll find it very useful. In fact, setting your own routine and follow it on weekdays will help you distinguish them from the weekends, usually devoted to relax.

Start with waking up at the same time every day and, consistently with the amount of work you have to do, set a fair number of working hours. Chose a compatible time for meals and breaks and be thorough to set an ending time to not cross. Try to respect it for at least 3 weeks.

2. FOLLOW YOUR AGENDA

Planning, planning, planning. Every evening, take the last 10 minutes to write down accurately the tasks for the day after. Doing this, you will start your day with less stress and you won’t lose precious time try remembering where you left off.

3. FIND YOUR OWN WORKSPACE

This is usually the hardest thing, especially for people who are living in a small apartment or with other people. Having your own studio would be amazing but isn’t mandatory, a room corner with a small dedicated desk could be enough. The environment is no less important: sunlight, a good room temperature and silence (or your favorite music) should never be missed for a perfect concentration.

We want you to connect mentally that space with “productivity”, in order to leave the rest of the house as a stress-free place to enjoy your private life.

 4. EAT HEALTHY

We never get tired to say that a healthy mind is always related with a healthy body.

Start the day with a nutritive breakfast full of Vitamins and Proteins and try to fill your lunch with Whole Carbohydrates, Vegetables and Omega 3, to keep your mind focused and avoid hunger pangs during the day. Use your favorite supplements for meals and snacks to spice them up and get a boost of nutrients whenever you need most.

EVAH’S TIP:  If you feel you have no enough time to cook every day, you can spend a couple of hours of your weekend to prepare your meals in advance and save them in the refrigerator.

 5. EXERCISE

It’s not important what you do… just do it! Yoga, crossfit, pilates, boxe, paint a fence, walk your dog, go up and down stairs, whatever. The body needs to move constantly for (at least) 30 minutes every day to permit muscles and joints being healthy and young over time. Doing this in the fresh air will just double the benefits.

 6. SET BOUNDARIES

Impose yourself to look at the phone only during breaks (unless you need it for work, of course). Social media, messaging apps can be very distracting and makes you lose hours without notice it.

The same method has to be used for people who are living with you. It’s not easy to set boundaries with our loved ones but this will help you to be productive

Kindly advise them that you need to be focused on your work because, the result of it, will bring benefits to all of the family and promise you will be totally present once finished (and respect it). They will understand more than you can imagine.

 7. SAVE WEEKENDS FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS

When working alone, especially in the creative sector, it is not uncommon that we spend hours on hours without talking with anyone. Is this happen to you, too?

That’s why is very important to set aside time for relaxing and enjoy the company or other human beings. Evenings and weekends should be spent in reconnecting with people we love, doing things we like. This will help you reduce stress and makes you look at your little issues with a detached vision. On Monday you will start your week as a new you, we promise it.

So, book a table in that fancy restaurant you were craving to bring your best friends and enjoy a night out. You deserved it!

If you’ve found this article useful we would be more than happy to receive your opinion. And don’t forget to share it with the tag #evahisme !