Business experts are hailing a new era of flexible working as staff are told to work from home to reduce the impact of the Covid-19 Coronavirus. But what about those who struggle to work from home when their offices allowed them to focus on work while home is a place of rest and leisure?
Stewart Vickers, co-founder of sustainable shaving website artisanshaving.org recommends staff start their day at home as if going to work. “We are often told that staying in pajamas, or worse, your bed – is a big mistake when working from home that sets you up for a lazy and unproductive day. But even if you get dressed, men probably won’t bother shaving.”
“This misses out vital step of preparing for work. The ritual of applying shaving cream and carefully guiding a razor across the face is one that focuses the mind and visually transforms you from rugged and sleepy to alert and professional”
Remote-working tools like Slack and Zoom are welcoming the change during the Coronavirus pandemic as their technology enables staff to continue as if in the office no matter where they are. Some flexible working advocates argue this is more productive than the distractions of the office and staff are more conscious of maintaining output to show that they are working, unlike just turning up and staying in the office for the day.
However, this could be very damaging for anyone who struggles to stay productive working from home and falls behind, leading to stress about their job security. Staff should therefore give themselves every opportunity to get into the right headspace for work. This could involve a tidy desk, work clothes and morning rituals like exercising and grooming.
Start the night before by going to bed at a sensible time. Just because you don’t have to commute doesn’t mean you have a lie in. It’s too easy to fall into a pattern of going to bed late and getting up late and eventually you’ll hate dragging yourself to your laptop the same as you would getting to the office on time.
Start the day with a shower – even better if you can get some exercise in before – and then onto the shave. Put special attention to this act of self-care. Warm up with a hot towel to soften the beard and use a proper safety razor and shaving brush with soap. Lockdown is easier thanks to modern technology, but shaving is best left with traditional methods.
