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Working from home is the dream—in theory: meaningful mornings, extra long yoga sessions, more time for your personal growth readings, and family dinners. In reality, each day is filled with valleys and peaks, on a journey for little ways to jolt the day away from those plentiful plateaus. Whether it’s a case for creativity, productivity, or just a way to keep the whole family on track, here are Maison Ito's best ways to ensure you continue to look and feel great while navigating the new home office lifestyle.
#1 Adapt to the new normal
A home routine that once worked for you may no longer serve the same purpose now that your house is your office, your gym, and probably your children’s school and restaurant in one fell swoop. Or perhaps 'set up a routine' has been sitting at the top of your to-do list for a while now. Either way, routines help provide comfort and control to what can be a challenging situation—inviting productivity to bloom. If you have little ones —your new 'colleagues'— in the house, a routine will ensure they know what to expect every day, thus giving them a sense of security. We recommend setting a task list the night before. A plan that tackles the demanding tasks in the morning has been proven to be the best for productivity. For further productivity apps, click here.
#2 Tune out and tune in(ward)
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While having the facts straight can help you make better decisions, information overload can also inhibit your ability to stay focused. So why not take a moment to turn off the news, log out of all your social media, and return to the simplicity of journaling your thoughts? Putting pen to paper helps relieve stress, spark creativity and boost memory. Moreover, writing a daily journal will help you stick to our first tip of setting a schedule. It’s also a lovely family task as children can use their journal to scribble down their feelings, invent a new story or draw a picture reflecting their day.
#3 Treat Yourself
Pampering yourself not only releases stress, but it also enhances self-esteem because it makes you feel cared for. A daily treat —news-free and noiseless— might mean a zen 10-minute ritual of preparing an energizing cup of matcha (pronounce: 'ma(t)-CHA' 抹茶), reminiscent of a Japanese tea ceremony. If you enjoy a morning cup, it’s the perfect moment to think about intention—something you plan to do to invite self-care into your day.
That special treat could also be a mini spa session with a face massage that elicits benefits like stress relief, hydration, and increased collagen. To make the most of your 'me time', book a one-on-one personal coaching session with our facialist Emilie Celine, who will share the secrets to a radiant complexion and well-being.
#4 Designate a working space
A top tip for working productively from home is to have a space reserved just for business. And this goes for children too, who have likely been hurled into home schooling. Ideally, your work space is a separate room with an ergonomic desk, a high-back designer-made office chair and a vibrant house plant to enhance your mood. But fret not if it’s just a special space carved from your kitchen table to set up a laptop, while your children play in their makeshift 'reading corner' in their room. The important thing is for you —and everyone else— to understand and respect that work space is where you work.
#5 Make time for music
They say that music is to the soul what words are to the mind. The benefits of listening to music are countless, including the release of the good-mood chemical dopamine— it can also be a productivity tool. Studies show that music with 50 to 80 beats per minute can enhance creativity! A good option for exploring this chill music is to check out Maison Ito’s Spring playlist. Since music can accelerate a child’s development, playing these tunes is fun and useful for your growing children as they read or write. Plus, what better excuse is there to turn up the volume and create some lasting memories while we’re all at home together?
#6 Stay in shape
The benefits of regular physical activity include a stronger immune system, a healthy heart, and the happiness hormones known as endorphins. Even if your Pilates studio or gym are temporarily closed or your regular running routine has been put on hold, there are still great ways to stay fit while at home. Awesome online workouts are abounding, including our favorites crafted by celebrity trainers Tracy Anderson, or Marnie Alton and CrossFit trainer Kelly Starrett.
If you’re pushed for time between home schooling and homemade meals, try the energizing and fat-burning wonders of a HIIT workout. Just 15 minutes of this high-intensity interval training has been shown to help with learning, memory, and regulating body weight.
Don’t forget: light exercising at home can be a time to bond with children. Here’s a full-body workout you can do with your kids, or do some child-friendly yoga poses together.
We look forward to seeing you soon at Maison Ito. In the meantime, be sure to continue to care for yourself. And if you’d like to share a tip with us that’s working well for you, we’d love to hear about it. Just comment below :)
BY EMILIE CELINE