Welcome New Routines
It has been a little while since my last blog post. I started a new job in healthcare IT (my day job), and have been working on getting settled, making announcements about joining this new company, and establishing my new routine. Even though I'm still working from home, it's amazing how much I needed to adjust, including when I'll be writing future blog posts.
I have worked from home for over 6 years now, and I'm in the same office, have the same commute down the hallway, and have the same assistant, my dog, Leo. He regularly makes appearances on my Zoom calls and makes sure I'm getting my walks in every day. While there is a lot that is the same, here is what I had to change:
Meal planning: To help me have healthy lunches available, I picked up a 5 pack meal plan from a local service that offers healthy options and caters to many ways of eating. This has saved me on several days where it would have been difficult to make a healthy lunch given my schedule. I just popped one of these meals in the microwave for 90 seconds and lunch was ready. I love that these places don’t require a subscription, as I really just need this service for certain weeks.
Orange Theory classes: While 5:15pm classes were a favorite of mine, I quickly learned they were not going to work any longer. Because I work closely with others in different time zones and we have deadlines frequently, my day sometimes extends further into the evening. I now schedule my classes later and am even throwing in some Saturdays too, which I've liked. I'm so glad I have my most flexible option available too - my Peloton bike - right there in my office.
Friday afternoons: I used to structure my Friday afternoons so that I could block a little time, meeting free, to finish up some work and plan for the following week. My Friday afternoons have been really busy so now I plan for this on Friday mornings (or sometime over the weekend.....let's be honest).
Time on Zoom and Teams: It has increased. Given how my eyes have been feeling, even though I wear blue light blocking glasses, I'll be removing my contacts earlier and wearing my glasses to give my eyes a break. I swear there are going to be long-term effects from this era of heavy videoconferencing, but for now, it's just reality.
-Sitting: I've been sitting a lot, and I believe this is related to the time video conferencing. In the old days of conference calls via phone, I would put in my Airpods and walk around while on calls. While I'd love a stand-up desk as a second option, I really don't have a place for it, so I've ordered a cushioned seat pad and a new lumbar back support.
I'm sharing this because I feel like I'm figuring out what is now going to work for me, but that doesn't mean I didn't have a few days in here where I struggled - to eat well, to take breaks, to hydrate, to stand up, etc. It was a process, but I was determined to figure it out quickly and even put some temporary fixes (meal plan) in place until I got my routine established and back on track. The last thing I wanted to do was slip back into bad eating habits and miss workouts.
The next piece of this is to figure out how to tackle more during weeknights so my weekends are not filled with to-dos. I've been here before and really do not want to make this a habit. Fewer to-do lists and more weekend adventures!
Any changes with a work (or school) routine are going to prompt changes in your personal life. So many people are going through this right now with going back into the office a couple days a week or kids going back to school. It’s all an adjustment. Plan for disruptions. Be gentle with yourself. Adjust quickly. Embrace the new.