Lunchtime for home workers
Make sure you have regular breaks and stop at lunchtime – the received wisdom for all home workers wanting a balanced lifestyle. San Sharma, the community manager of Bitsy, tweets every day just before 1 pm to remind home workers to take a break. And I always tell people exactly that in my talks and workshops…but do I obey my own advice?
No, of course not! It’s tempting to think you can be more productive if you just keep on working, and maybe in the short term you can. If you’re working to an urgent deadline, for example. But it’s not so good when it becomes a habit. I find that if I’m on a roll with work I keep putting off a break, sometimes for so long that I end up starving and resort to biscuits etc because I can’t wait to make something healthy.
Until recently I’d got into the habit of eating at my computer while reading (and sometimes bolting my food in order to wipe my fingers and get back to the keyboard). And then I was told by a nutritionist that I’d absorb the vitamins and minerals in my food better if I relax while eating – and that means leaving my desk.
Then there’s the question of what to eat. Since my consultation I’ve been eating much more healthily – less wheat, dairy and sugar, even – the home worker’s greatest dread, surely – less caffeine. But it takes time to plan and shop to make sure there are always healthy snacks in the house. So much easier to grab a sandwich, and graze on biscuits, crisps and cake in between.
In an ideal world working at home should enable you to eat better. But what happens in practice? Is your home working day one long graze at your desk, or do you make a point of stopping to eat and drink?
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It’s so important to feed the brain wherever you work. The beauty about working from home or remotely is that you can eat when you want. I’m a particular fan of grazing and eating lots of little snacks throughout the day like roasted pumpkin seeds, sprouting seeds, salads, miso soup. Nothing too heavy, like pasta, as there’s a tendency to want to sleep. As well as healthy snacks, I also like to burn some essential oils like geranium (balancing) and lavender (calming) to create a lovely smelling atmosphere and help get the creative juices going. I tend to get these from Neal’s Yard. Great post.
This is spooky, Sabi! These are just the foods I am changing to. Previously a plate of toast was a quick and filling snack, but yes, I did want to nod off afterwards!
Not only that, but I’ve just bought some Neal’s Yard geranium oil and I’m using it with lavender in the bath. I’ve never thought of burning them during the day, so thanks for the idea 🙂
Thanks for the shoutout, Judy! I actually didn’t have lunch when I should have today – and the problem is, if you leave it until you’re really hungry, when you’ve finally finished that job, you end up eating way more than you should, which is the position I’m in now :-s
Great post!
Me too, San. And on that note, I really *must* finish in a minute to go and get that healthy veggie chilli started. From Nigel Slater’s Real Fast Food book – our copy is falling apart. Highly recommended for ‘proper’ but quick food for home workers.