For a lot of us, working from home has been a whole new experience and for others, it continues as an ongoing professional lifestyle. Regardless of which category you fall into, the following list provides simple yet valuable tips for integrating structure, infusing well-being and enhancing connection within your daily work routine. And the better you feel, the greater your productivity, health and happiness.

1. Take micro-breaks throughout your work day. Stand up, stretch, and try some breathing exercises. These little pauses can have powerful effects to recharge your body and reboot your brain.
2. Take meaningful pauses from screen time. Look out the window (or a nearby plant, which are also great to make part of your space!) and connect with the beauty of nature. Just be sure not to replace one screen with another :-). If you need tools to help encourage good habits, check out this post. Also, it’s important to reduce screen time after your work day is done, especially social media.
3. Get outside and get grounded.  Feel the earth under your feet! Sit outside in your backyard, at a local park, or anywhere that you enjoy being outdoors.  Take a walk around your neighborhood. Wherever you go, simply enjoy having the soles of your feet connect with the earth. Getting outside helps normalize your sleep cycle, boosts your immune system (thanks phytoncides!), and keeps your body’s serotonin levels up, helping keep you calm and focused. WebMD provides more details on this too.
4. When it comes to eating, do it away from your desk.  Avoid eating while on the phone as well. And remember to take your time and savor each bite. Too often we rush through our meal while multitasking, which has been linked to negative side effects.
5. Take “walking meetings”. Still stay connected, by untether yourself occasionally from Zoom/Skype/video calls and just walk and talk. As noted earlier, you may find that you’re actually more focused while walking and talking!
6. Center yourself with meditation. Even if your time is limited and you only have five minutes, this is enough time to make a difference! We’re particular to Open Heart Meditation, but all forms can be helpful!
7. Diffuse stress and anxiety by connecting with your heart. If you don’t have time for a 10-20 minute meditation, but find yourself anxious, you can still center yourself fairly quickly. Believe it or not, it’s as simple as being comfortable in your chair, allowing your jaw muscles, shoulders, abdomen, and the rest of your body to relax. Then, close your eyes, touch your heart at the center of your chest, smile sweetly and freely to your heart…and ENJOY! Even doing this for a minute can really help reset your outlook.
8. Encourage your colleagues to engage in meaningful self-care. And if you’re a manager, lead by example. The cost of poor wellbeing at work is tremendous and has been well-documented.
9. Be aware of your home office setup. If you have transitioned to working from home most/all of the time, it’s particularly important that your environment support your work and wellbeing. Make sure you have a comfortable chair and ergonomic set-up. Add plants/greenery to the room. Try not to work in the same room you sleep in and — if possible — choose a room with lots of natural light. Open your window to let in fresh air.
10. Stick to a schedule or create a routine. Make tips 1 – 9 above into healthy habits and repeat them throughout the week. Also, try beginning and ending your day with a ritual that signals the start and completion of work time.