Practical & Healthy Tips From The Team That’s Been Doing It Since 2010

Firstly, wherever you are in the world, I hope you, your family, and loved ones are safe. While it’s easy to get caught up in the hysteria, we will continue to share positive stories and do what we can to weather this storm with you.

Our intent is to get creative in making this #flattenthecurve life as safe and fun as possible. We’ll kick off by sharing our secrets of how we have successfully worked from home with high focus, effective communication and keeping up with a healthy lifestyle.

As of right now, I’m in Melbourne, busy working with my virtual team as we have been since 2010. I talk to Stephen, Cleo, Alvin, Chit & Dhvani on a daily basis, and our clients on a weekly basis (yes, they take turns!) Our footprint is spread across Australia, Malaysia, India and China. The significant change in our work as a result of this #coronavirus pandemic is that events and upcoming shoots have been rightfully cancelled. So we’re prepared to hunker down at our pretty desks for the next 3-6 months, or as long as needed, to step up with 100% digital production. We are determined to do whatever we can to help flatten this damn curve AND getting ready for a big comeback when life rolls back to normality.

If you have never really worked from home before (a couple of days doesn’t count!) we hope this will help to put things into perspective for you so you too, can enjoy the convenience of work-from-home and save yourself from falling into a new work-life crisis. Remember, working from home can sound like a dream to many, but to do it indefinitely can cause some “cray-cray” if you do not set yourself up for success! So here you go:

1. A Brilliant Morning Routine

How you start your day is so important! If you get tempted with sleeping in or skipping workouts, by all means, give in to these I-Don’t-Want-To-Do-Anything pleasures for 2 days and then set yourself up for a brilliant morning routine because it helps you become productive, effective and generally a nicer person.

I start my mornings watching the sunrise, meditate for 20 mins, a quick check-in with my multiple inboxes whilst I drink my first cup of coffee, followed by 20 mins workout or yoga (check out Alo Moves or SWEAT for easy-to-follow yoga lessons, they have a 14-days and 1-month free trial respectively), shower, get dressed, make and eat a nutritious breakfast with a podcast playing in the background (I’m currently listening to School of Greatness by Lewis Howes), and make my way to the work desk before my team starts. I like to get ahead of everyone!

2. Eat & Snack Healthy

If you have used your working life complaining about how you can’t sustain healthy eating due to the food options available, now you actually have no more excuses! You can make a fresh salad out of your fridge in 5 mins, you can cook a light noodle soup in 15 mins – I love doing this as it means I’m getting my ass off the seat for some moving around and my eyes off the screen. The trick to being successful at this is to buy and store only good food at home, including your drinks and snacks! Keep ready-to-eat options handy so you can reach out to them if you run out of time to cook on any days. Explore some easy and healthy recipes on taste.com.au.

3. Dedicated Work Space

Set up a dedicated spot as your work zone (no-no, not your bed, not your bedroom) and make sure the people you’re living with understand and mus respect that when you are seated there, it means “Do Not Disturb.” We highly encourage you to invest in a good chair, look into ergonomic options. Wear a pair of blue light glasses, I’m wearing OWNDAYS and saw some cool ones from Quay Australia available on The Iconic. It’s essential to keep your desk tidy with some minimal styling – it will help you feel great at work when it feels welcoming. I recommend keeping a small vase with fresh flowers, a small indoor plant (Bunnings is now doing deliveries!) or turn on a diffuser with your favourite essential oil.

4. SHOW UP!

This is as straightforward as the two words say. Choosing to SHOW UP in the right way every day is so important. Remind yourself that this is work, set your energy and intent right, and LOOK right. I know it sounds like a dream come true to wear PJs but if that is making you feel lazy and slow, then DON’T DO IT! Do you know how clothes can make you feel? When you wear something good for the right occasion, you FEEL it! If there’s an important meeting, show up as if it’s an in-person meeting. Maintain your professional image, and your colleagues, clients and employers will feel more confident in your work.

5. Keep The Mat Rolled Out

Yes, this is one of my most prized work-from-home tips. I keep my yoga mat rolled out so, after every conference call, I will have a good 2-3 minutes stretch. If I’m feeling challenged or stressed, the mat is my go-to to reconnect with myself before I tackle the problems at hand, avoiding panic reaction at all costs. Remember that when you’re working from home, you do not have colleagues around to check in with you, so it is important to check in with yourself. Ps: Check out Yin Yoga Mats if you’re in Australia, I’m using Wätl Black, it is so beautiful that I keep wanting to go to it!

https://www.instagram.com/p/B5WC0_pB-xG/

6. Do Not Turn On The BOX

This is a serious one – do not turn on the TV! It is very destructive and you will be consuming information you do not need. Turn it off and keep your focus on your work. You can get to it after hours.

7. Stay Hydrated

We don’t need to elaborate on this but we recommend you use a nice looking glass water bottle so your supply “at desk” lasts longer, and when the bottle looks good, you might just look at it more and subconsciously pick it up to drink more. I love the cups and mugs from Takeawei. If you’re not a fan of H20 in its original version, explore infused tea, flavoured water or drop in some fruit slices.

8. Spread Happiness

Keep the virtual communication casual yet professional. Let your colleagues know that you’re just a click away, call anytime. Try to maintain a schedule of at least one video call a day. Remember that our energy at work is so important and when we can’t see each other in person, some of us might feel unsupported or unheard. Be there for your people and have fun in doing so. Share jokes, playlists, what you make for lunch and maybe a virtual group dance! Oh and your playlist… music can set the RIGHT or WRONG mood, so avoid heavy metal or rock genres if your work requires you to create light beautiful things – choose according to what energy output is required!

9. BONUS TIP

If you’re a leader in your team or organisation and you have a culture of after-work or #Friyay drinks, order some wine bottles from NakedWines.com.au and have them delivered to your team members. See, we can still do the things we used to do with working from home and more! Check out how Freya Esders, @freyaesders, did it with her friends.

At Glamorazzi, we are currently going through a massive mindset shift with all our marketing approach – yes, that is keeping us super busy! In light of this pandemic, it seems like a no-brainer for all of our clients across different industries to want to jump and launch virtual products or services, offer deliveries, actively engage with the audience on social media and more. It’s no longer a “maybe”, it’s a “can we start now?”

If you too, find yourself in this position and would like a chat, I’m making myself available for a quick 15 mins brainstorm throughout the week via Instagram or Facebook video call at absolutely no fee, just to spread the love during this time of uncertainty. I know with my 10 years of experience in digital marketing, I will have nuggets of wisdom that will be valuable for you. You can reach out here:

As with all other 1 million pieces of content that are already flooding our feed and inboxes, forgive us for repeating it here just as a friendly reminder:

1. Stay home. 
2. Wash your hands, carry hand sanitsers.
3. Avoid crowd or if inevitable, wear a mask (Tailors of Distinction came out with their washable cloth face mask). Practise #PhysicalDistancing, in Australia, we need to keep at least 1.5m apart from one another.
4. Don’t go to hospitals or medical centres unless it’s an absolute emergency.  
5. Remain calm and plan ahead (not stocking up on toilet paper!)
6. Try to get all your groceries in one shop and meal prep, preventing you from making too many unnecessary trips out
7. If you have a friend or family member in medicine right now, send them a message to tell them you’re thinking of them. It really helps when you’ve tested your “3rd COVID-19 case of the night.”
8. Get the right source of information from WHO, not some BS social media experts. For Australians, see the latest information from the Australian Government Department of Health or call National Coronavirus Helpline 1800 020 080

Let’s rock this #PhysicalDistancing to slow the virus down, remember, you need to act like you already have it! We’ll end this article with a brilliant video to educate yourself on COVID-19 prevention.