The WFH Edit

Clockwise from top: Sweatshirt, Cookbook, Leggings, Diffuser, Essential Oils, Hand Cream, Rings, Glasses, Slides, Cardigan, Joggers, White Tee

I recently watched Estée Lalonde’s working from home video and it really inspired me to make en effort to stick to my daily routine. A couple weeks ago, I was laid off due to COVID-19. While I’m not working a 9–5 job anymore, I am turning my focus on building content for my website, which fills my time well and keeps my creative juices flowing. With that being said, I’m not going to sit here and tell you I work all day on this and I’m fulfilling all my hopes and dreams in my newfound spare time. It’s a big challenge to get up every day and motivate myself, especially when this is something I don’t get paid to do.

I’m working on being gentle with myself — I start my day a little later (around 10am) and end early around 4pm. I take time to go on long walks and read because it makes me happy and who knows when we’ll get this time again. If I don’t get everything on my to do list done, I try not to beat myself up because tomorrow’s a new day and I can do it then. What I have learned from this is the importance of creating and sticking to a routine that makes you happy. My new work from home routine goes a little something like this:

730am — Wake up, drink a glass of water with lemon and immediately dive into my Melissa Wood Health workout. I’ve been following her weekly schedule, where she lays out a workout or series for every day of the week and saves you the trouble of figuring it out yourself.

830am — I’ll alternate between taking Moose for a 30 minute run or I’ll immediately hop into the shower if I’m looking to get my day started earlier. If I don’t take Moose out for a run in the morning, I’ll take him for a walk around our block and do a longer walk with him later in the afternoon.

9am — Shower and get ready. I use my Prose shampoo & conditioner combo and Glossier Milky Jelly every day. Once out of the shower I apply my Nécessaire body lotion, Ursa Major vitamin C, Glossier Bubblewrap eye cream and SuperGoop’s SPF 40+ Daily Moisturizer. I comb my hair out using Rahua hair detangler and let it air dry. For makeup I’ll apply a little Glossier Stretch Concealer, curl my lashes and do my brows with Anatasia Brow Wiz and Gel. I also started incorporating Glossier’s Futuredew serum for a glowy look.

As for my work from home uniform, I have tried wearing jeans and dressing up, but I’m honestly happiest wearing something more comfortable. That’s not to say I throw myself away — I’ll opt for a put-together loungewear look, like these cashmere joggers mixed with a simple white tee and a cozy beige cardigan. I find throwing on a little jewelry keeps me feeling more polished and having the right pair of slippers or slides is a definite must. For more work from home outfit Inso, you can visit my loungewear shop.

930am — I like to clean up our home and make sure everything’s in order before I start working. I’ll put a few drops of Vitruvi’s Retreat oil blend into a diffuser, which smells like grapefruit and is so refreshing in the morning. I’ll also light a little Palo Santo and let it burn. I’ll do this in the morning and evening to cleanse the space and create a sense of renewal and calmness. Is it a little hooha? Maybe, but I like it.

10am — I take my daily vitamins. I recently subscribed to Care/Of and am loving it so far. You do a quiz and they determine what vitamins you need to focus on. Then I’ll make Phil and I my favourite smoothie inspired by Turf’s Energy Smoothie and put on a pot of coffee. For the smoothie (serves 2), I use our Vitamix to blend 1 cup of kale, 1 cup of spinach, 1 frozen banana, 2 dates, 2 tbsp of almond butter, 2 scoops of iron vegan protein, a sprinkle of hemp hearts and flax seed and then finish it off with coconut water. I love this smoothie so much and you really get your greens in for the day. Plus it doesn’t taste like a gross green juice at all.

1030am — I usually make a list of things to do and dive into whatever I have going on that day. Since I was laid off, my priority for the day has shifted into updating my website and writing blog posts. I’ll spend about two hours tackling my least favourite to do and then take a lunch break and use the afternoon to work on something I like better. While working, I love listening to a Spotify playlist on my AirPods to get me in the zone, plus it drowns out Phil when he’s on work calls.

1pm— Lunch break! We’ve been alternating between making simple healthy salads and trying new recipes. I’ve been loving NYT Cooking and also cookbooks like Alison Roman’s Nothing Fancy. I’ve also been ordering a few healthy lunch items from Turf’s grocery delivery program. The Green Curry soup, Tempeh Bolognese and their bean burger patties are my fave.

2pm— Back to the grind for another couple hours. When this all started I bought an extra pair of blue-light blocking glasses. These ones, which I love, don’t even have my prescription, but I find if I’m staring at my phone or computer so much it’s the best thing I can do to make sure I don’t throw off my body’s natural circadian rhythm. I’ll also sip a green tea or kombucha to deter me from constantly snacking if I get bored with work.

4pm— I usually reserve something fun or rewarding for the end of the day. Whether it’s taking Moose for a long walk and stopping in a park to read or simply working outside in the garden, I like to get outdoors for an hour every day to get my daily dose of fresh air and vitamin D. We’ve been so lucky here in Vancouver with our warm weather!

I’d love to know what everyone’s work from home routine looks like. Do you have any tips for staying focused?