Lunch time

One thing I have found amazing since I became an at-home worker is the different approaches to the "lunch hour." It's time we put the break back in break-time!

When I was in the office, I always worked through lunch. I would eat whatever, healthy or typically not, that was easy to mindlessly shove in my face while working. My reasoning was simple: I didn't want to work later or earlier in the office than I absolutely had to. Not that I'm not a hard worker! But, I have a life outside of work. When you add in commute time and the like, I wanted every ounce of freedom I could get. If working through lunch meant leaving at 5:00 (or a few minutes early to beat traffic), then that was a price worth paying.

Now that I'm an at-home worker, it is very opposite. I enjoy taking an actual lunch break every day. And it makes a huge difference! Scientific research has shown that you need a 30 minute break every 4-6 hours to allow your brain to breathe and center. Breaks allow your brain to move from "focused" to "diffused" mode, where their daydreamy state allows you to make better cognitive connections. (Like when you get great ideas or remember that thing you lost while in the shower!) And breaks help us re-evaluate goals by taking a fresh perspective.

Not only is it good for your brain, but stepping away and eating a proper lunch is good for your health. Mindful, rested eating is better for your digestive system and allows you to enjoy your food and recognize signals such as feeling full. The "right" food will re-energize you for the entire afternoon without a sugary crash.

The at-home worker is in a very powerful position when it comes to lunch. They have their own kitchen! You can use a real stove, have fresh ingredients, and even cook things that stink because you won't offend anyone!! You have access to utensils, real plates, seasonings, and time. There's no reason you cannot fix a nutritious meal that will feed your brain and your body. Say goodbye to the frozen meals that come with in-office work and really enjoy the freedom that is offered to you.

You can use this lunch time for more than just lunch as well. (But don't skip that meal!) You can workout without worrying about being sweaty in the office. You can shop online or check out social media on your personal equipment - there are no office internet police on those connections. You can meditate and feed your mind and soul. You can run some errands that aren't possible in many office environments. You can even just watch some trash TV and rub the dog's belly to totally escape for a while.

Many at-home colleagues tell me that they don't take a lunch from home because they feel tethered to their machine or they miss the social aspect of lunch. Don't discount yourself! Your lunch hour is still your right, and most people generally accept lunch as a typical human priority. If you really miss the social, go out to lunch. Meet up with people. Or, in a pinch, Skype or otherwise web chat over food with your pals.

The most important thing here is to let at-home work empower you to make the most of your lunch hour and not detract from it. This time is very important to your overall success, so take the freedom you've been offered and really turn it into something. Think of that time away from your computer as food for your body, mind, and soul. Nourish yourself!!

Make the most of your office visit

Those dreaded words no work-at-home employee wants to hear: "We need you to come to the office for (this)."

Sends chills up your spine, doesn't it? Then your mind starts whirling around... I have to get up earlier? Do I still have any work pants that fit? Do I have gas in my car? What will I do with the dogs while I'm gone? And so on.

Let's face it. We're all going to hear it at some point. If you live close to work, you may hear it more often. If you live far away, it may not be as often, but tends to be a bigger ordeal to orchestrate. At some time, something will come up where your hands are tied and you have to go. After you complete the stages of grieving over the loss of your home for the day, you end up in Acceptance. And then what?

When you have finally come to terms with it, now you need to take advantage of it. If you had to leave your comfort zone, make sure you cash in. Make it worth your while. Don't come back home with any regrets or missed opportunities.

Here are some tips when planning your in-office visit:

• Don't book your day full of meetings. Leave as much of your time booked for impromptu conversations. Chances are that there are a large number of people that want to see you and you want to give them that chance. Staying locked away closes the door (literally) on those run-ins.
• Attend meetings in person. Take the room option, and if there isn't one, ask to make an exception this time. People will be so glad to see you that they won't mind the trouble of the conference room booking system.
• Let people know you are coming in. Share where you will be, what hours you have free, etc. Send an email or tell them on other meetings in advance so they can clear up some time to visit with you. Don't leave anyone telling you "I wish I would have known..."
• Schedule some social time. Arrive early, stay late, go out to lunch. Get in those casual meetings that are only slightly about work but help build lasting bonds.
• If you are traveling from further away, book an extra day or two to ensure you have time for all of your networking.
• Also if traveling, schedule something bigger with folks after work such as dinner or going to a local sporting event. Make every minute of your trip count.
• Reach out to someone you normally wouldn't. Expand your horizons. Build a bigger network.
• Don't complain about having to be in the office. No one wants to hear you whine. They are excited you are in, so don't belittle that with your bellyaching. 
• Don't forget the office rules. Double check on dress code, weather, traffic, meeting locations, and all the prep stuff so that your time in the office is focused on the interactions and not the distractions.
• Be present. Be available. Be social. Just be.
• Smile :-)

Walk Away

Everyone talks about a work/life balance. That's not new. But when you work at home, work is life and life is work. Where does one stop and the other start?

People will say that work from home is more productive because people work longer hours. Well, they do. But that's not why it is, or should be, more productive. Just like your office counterpart, you need a break. Burning the work candle at both ends only does one thing - it burns you out.

That's why it is even more important, when working from home, to define boundaries and walk away. There has to be a division for you to be off the clock.

Below are some tips to help build the barrier between work and non-work. Even if you didn't do some of these while you were an office dweller, you need to start now. Your non-work life depends on it.

• Define a space for work that you can walk away from. This should not be your kitchen table, your bed, your sofa, or anywhere else you'd find yourself regularly visiting when you're off the clock.
• Take your lunch break. Use it to do a load of laundry, walk the dog, actually eat something healthy (for a change), work out, run an errand, etc. The point is to take a break from work. This should be a minimum of 30 minutes to allow your brain time to regroup.
• Define your office hours. They may be slightly longer than a traditional 8-5 because you can afford it, but set them and stand by them. When the quitting time bell rings, Fred Flintstone your way out of the office and never look back.
• Resist the temptation to check back in. Unless there is a special occasion, don't run back to your office to check on work just because you can. Use that time for something else. Read a really awesome Leading from Afar blog if you can't find anything else to do.
• Unplug entirely. For at least a few minutes, after you log off for the day, go acoustic. No computer, tablet, phone, TV, radio, or whatever your vice. Just chill, disconnected for a few minutes, to let your entire body move on from work.
• Keep your work and non-work technologies separate. If you use the same devices for both, it's easy and tempting while playing Candy Crush or updating Facebook to do some work too. Remove the temptation all together. 

Work at home has given you the gift of time and money. It's a shame to let it all go to waste because you never stop working.