A firm believer in Ayurveda, Jasmine Hemsley accepts that life is all about balance. At a time when work life and personal life have blended due to the current crisis, the author, chef and wellness expert shares work from home tips that foster productivity, on #ELLEMasterclass Live on Instagram. Here are the key takeaways:
Stick to a routine
The idea is to give yourself the liberty to sometimes wander off schedule, but at the same time, have a structure and routine that you can always return to. Set boundaries that you can sometimes choose to cross, but also come back into. While working from home, it is essential to create a difference between your work life and home life, even though they are both probably present in the same room.
Cut distractions
Jasmine practices and preaches the efficacy of the Pomodoro Technique, a time management technique developed by Francesco Cirillo. This is extremely helpful if you’re someone who is easily distracted, always has ideas running though your head, or has work or finance related worries. The idea of the technique is to concentrate for 20-25 minutes at one stretch, so you can focus all your energy on a particular task or project, rather than spreading it thinly which becomes exhaustive. Follow it up with a five to ten minute break to perform a relaxing task. Jasmine talks about another technique that she has picked up, wherein she uses a sandglass to stop and remind herself to breathe and be present in the moment every fifteen minutes or so. It is calming on the nervous system. When the ups and downs of the outside world get strenuous, factoring in some down time to meditate re-energises your mind and body.
Don’t sideline your health
Given the long working hours, it is important to be conscious of your posture. Jasmine suggests you keep moving, change your position every fifteen to twenty minutes. It is while being stagnant and steady that we lose our energy. For better eye health, make it a point to sit by the window or on the terrace and get some sunlight everyday. An important habit is also to take your eyes away from the screen and look into the distance frequently. Jasmine also stresses on the importance of eating dinner early. According to Ayurveda, ease into the day with a light warming breakfast, the main meal is at lunch time when the sun is at its highest, and as the sun is lowering, a light evening meal to get through to bed time.
Relax with music
Music possesses the power to influence your mind and body. Jasmine suggests listening to up tempo beats to get amped up for a high energy meeting or tuning into some whimsical melodies to calm down or maybe cleanse a space. She talks about her Spotify playlist with the sounds of nature, called Biophilia. Surrounded by concrete walls and digital screens, the playlist transports her and makes her feel closer to nature. She also suggests being surrounded by natural materials, to have plants around you to cleanse the air, and keep windows open.
Consumption of information
Be discerning about what you take into your world, Jasmine reminds us. Today, because of technology, we have access to so much information at all times. There are so many brilliant online classes, be sure to pop them into your schedule otherwise you end up jumping around on social media for hours and at the end of the day, you’ve taken in almost nothing, just some fuzzy information. The human mind is always looking for things to do, so it is imperative to be very aware. The smart phone is a fantastic tool, but so is the mind. It is important that you build a healthy relationship with your phone, like any other relationship in your life.
For more tips, watch the video below:
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