Like a bear coming out of hibernation, returning to “the wild” (i.e. our offices) will bring about a hunger for familiarity. And, just like those bears, we will be a little skittish, and at least six-feet apart from other humans.
This quarantine, arguably, has changed how we will forever conduct business and live our daily lives. Being located in Atlanta, in the first state to reopen, we have seen the city reemerge from the not-so-metaphorical ashes and pave the path for proper post-COVID protocol.
Drop by drop, person by person, June 1st will be when we start to trickle back into our offices. There are rumors of plastic partitions, talks of staggered arrivals, promises of adequate separation from others, and requirements of diligent sanitation.
As it pertains to the future of our work environments, though, all most of us can really do is continue to be adaptable for the sake of keeping ourselves and our peers safe. In the meantime, the one thing you can control is yourself, and that includes some of the habits you may have developed while in quarantine – some that may not translate over to your normal work schedule. Let’s go through them together!
Waking up earlier
I think everyone in our office is guilty of this one! It’s hard to deny that extra hour of shut-eye when your alarm goes off and you don’t technically need to get up just quite yet.
Remember when you were in grade school and your parents “trained” your sleep schedule? Whether it was an attempt at reclaiming alone-time, or not, they might have been on to something! According to sleep.org, your body has an easier time making sleep adjustments on an incremental basis. The website suggests turning your alarm clock back by fifteen-minutes at a time in order to have you springing out of bed by the time you need to return back to your normal work schedule!
Working out at different times
One of the things that our team really enjoyed with working from home was getting to break a workout routine. Many of us at AquantUs were big fans of playing around with different workout times, but unfortunately, that will soon come to an end. Use this transition period to reacquaint yourself with your typical exercise schedule. Or, if you’ve always wanted to be an early-bird fitness-enthusiast, this would be a great time to train yourself to work out early, while you’re still working from home!
Transition back to your normal lunch schedule
Those hunger-pangs don’t have quite the same effect when you have your entire pantry at your disposal. Getting back into the habit of eating during the times that you would typically eat while at the office is a good idea, in order to keep hunger at bay!
Transition back to your normal work hours
Work-life balance was one of the biggest issues that many faced once their dining rooms became their offices. There’s something just so easy about sitting down for ten-minutes to finish a task at 8PM. While this advice packages all of the other tips together, we believe it deserves a category of its own. Aim to work your normal hours. When the laptop shuts, resist the temptation to open it up again!
While we’ve all just been trying our best to do what works best for us during quarantine, knowing that we’re all going to be reunited soon makes it easier to get back into our normal routine. What habits have you developed that you’re going to have to break?! Let us know in the comments below!
