Working from home can be a very relaxing experience, but it’s important to plan ahead to ensure you adapt to the new work environment. Staying connected to others is very important. Business relationships are extremely valuable in virtually every industry, and those who are setting up home offices often struggle to stay connected. You can actually improve your business relationships at home fairly easily.
I’ve personally found that relaxing at home can make it a lot easier to be productive and stay in touch with long-distance coworkers. Making a nice meal or preparing a drink are two luxuries you can’t normally experience in an office setting. Giving yourself time to relax may make you more productive, and you can always stay occupied by focusing on things you enjoy while working from home. I’ve often found that preparing a milkshake or smoothie before an online business meeting keeps my brain alert and focused. There are many different recipes online, but I like to make one from Monin flavored syrup, peanut butter, vanilla ice cream, and peanut butter cups. It’s an extremely rich snack, but it often gives me the energy I need to get through late-day meetings and teleconferences with coworkers. You can even add a little bit of rum to make it a white rum smoothie with peanut butter flavoring.
Staying Connected at Home
If you’re a freelance worker, then you’ve probably found your profession somewhat isolated. Freelance work rarely involves working in teams, so you may want to consider reaching out to a group of workers in a similar profession. Using message boards is a great way to stay in touch. You can make a lot of friends by networking through social media, and you may even end up building vital business connections. Working at home requires you to set your own schedule. This can seem liberating, but it also means you need to manage your own time efficiently. Communicating with other people in the same profession can help you stay on task and meet your personal performance goals. Other like-minded individuals are working within the same constraints as you, and you can easily discover a common bond by discussing your personal performance goals for the year.
Relaxing While Social Distancing at Work
Staying at home also affords many people the freedom to do things they couldn’t normally do at work. Businesses have dress codes and strict protocols employees must follow, but you can essentially do what you want when you’re working from home. Some businesses may require you to clock in at certain times, but you can choose ways you personally manage your time at home. You normally only drink in an office setting during holiday parties, but people can drink responsibly while being productive in the home office. Making a small cocktail during your lunch break can make it easy to relax as you finish up your day. You can also make a clever mocktail and forget about the alcohol.
Social distancing prevents us from going on vacations right now, so making a Caribbean cocktail can make you feel like you’re getting a bit of an escape as you complete mundane tasks in your home office. You can easily prepare South Seas Rum Punch using a few simple ingredients.
SOUTH SEAS RUM PUNCH
INGREDIENTS
- ice
- 1 oz. Monin South Seas Blend
- 1 1/2 oz. gold rum
- 1/2 oz. fresh lime juice
- 1 oz. pineapple juice
- 1 oz. orange juice
- 3 dash(es) bitters
INSTRUCTIONS
- Combine ingredients in shaker in the order listed, except sparkling beverage.
- Cap and shake vigorously.
- Pour into serving glass and add any needed ice.
- Top with sparkling beverage and garnish.
Refrigerate the concoction for at least three hours. You can make this at the start of the week and sip it intermittently during your lunch break or at the end of the day.
There are certainly many other ways to relax at home while staying connected with coworkers. You can be creative by setting up a work environment that is both comfortable and productive. It should be easy to maintain social connections if you are creating a friendly work environment. People will sense your attitude toward your profession and enjoy working with you. Social distancing has become part of our daily lives, so we should do everything in our power to make the workday at home as enjoyable as possible.
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