March 11, 2024 • 8 mins
Discover how to boost your well-being and productivity with daily planning and routine hydration.. With a water bottle always within reach, I share my tips on staying hydrated.
I'm also keen to hear your thoughts and suggestions for future episodes, so let's connect on LinkedIn and continue to grow our community with shared experiences and insights. Together, let's elevate our remote work life experience.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, it's Alex from Remote Work Life.
I hope this finds you well,wherever you may be, and if
you're new to these episodesthese episodes which I publish
once a week then these episodesare dedicated to giving you,
providing you with quick tips,tips based on things that I've
(00:21):
learnt myself working on aremote basis or working in it,
working generally, or learntfrom others who I've either
interviewed or worked with inthe past.
And, as you can imagine, inanybody's career, especially if
it's been a long career, thereare things that you improve on,
(00:43):
things that you perhaps havebeen challenged with and that
have helped you to learn newthings.
It's no different for me.
I've learnt a lot in my career,but I like to actually pass on
what I've learnt in order to, Iguess, hopefully help those who
may be coming through.
So this episode is no differentto that.
(01:05):
So today, planning andpreparing for the day, including
mealtimes and healthy foodchoices, is something that I
want to talk about, somethingthat I've experienced
specifically that has helped meto improve my not only my
well-being, but also myproductivity.
I'm a big remote work advocate.
(01:26):
I've experienced how remotework has transformed my life and
has helped me to strike abalance between my life and
between my work.
But I've had to do that verydeliberately.
I haven't that hasn't just comenaturally to me at times, and
I've struggled with maintainingenergy.
I've struggled with maintainingfocus through the day, and it
(01:49):
wasn't until I consciouslyplanned and prepared nutritious
meals or healthy snacks, forexample, that I just generally
planned my day, that I began toexperience the true benefits of
working on a remote basis, andthat requires or required me to
be intentional about what I wasdoing.
(02:13):
So here are five things that Ieither do myself or have seen
others do in order to help planand prepare for the day.
So number one is meal planning.
So I tend to schedule the mealsthat I eat ahead of time,
(02:34):
sometimes for the whole week.
I try to plan the schedule ofmeals for the whole week and I
plan nutritious meals and snacksin advance.
I know what I'm going to eatdays ahead, usually five days
ahead.
I plan for those five days andthis can help me to maintain
energy levels and reduce thelikelihood of unhealthy choices,
(02:54):
but also that mental energythat you can sometimes consume
when you're trying to decidewhat to eat, when you're trying
to decide to eat on the spot,and not just the mental energy
but the time that you can wasteif you're going from the fridge
to the cupboard, from thecupboard to the fridge, looking
at things to eat.
That is a drain on your time,that is a drain on your mental
(03:18):
resources.
Even if you only may seem likea small thing, it can take its
toll sometimes.
So meal planning is somethingthat I think is is a good thing
to do.
That's number one.
Number two healthy snacks.
So I, I like to eat betweenmeals and I'm a big eater and I
(03:38):
can get away with it becausebecause of my, my, my stature,
because of my, I guess, mygenetics in many ways.
So I like to eat snacks inbetween meals.
I must admit, sometimes I don'talways eat healthy snacks.
So chocolate biscuits aresometimes found in my drawers,
(03:59):
or, you know, bars of chocolatefound on my desk.
But I try to sort of pair thatwith the more healthy choices as
well.
And obviously exercise can helpsometimes.
But you know, I have to admit Ineed to myself take more
healthy choices when it comes tothe snacks, the in between meal
(04:21):
snacks that I that I eat.
So that's number two.
Hydration, number three.
So three, hydration.
So staying hydrated issomething that I perhaps
underrated in the early days,but what I used to do was just
drink on an ad hoc basis, andsometimes I would get so
(04:41):
engrossed in my work that Iforget to have a drink, and that
would slow me down mentally.
That would slow me down as well, even sometimes from a physical
standpoint, because you knowyou need hydration and it can
make your eyes feel dry, forexample, it can make your your
throat dry, or you can all thoseother things.
(05:03):
So hydration is critical.
Even now, for example, I canfeel that my throat is getting
dry.
So here I've got my glass ofwater next to me, so once I
finish recording this episode, Ican take a drink of water to
rehydrate myself.
And that hydration I wouldrecommend keeping a bottle of
water actually at your workspace.
(05:25):
And what I did as well, I put afluorescent dot on my, on my
laptop, and that was sort oflike a trigger for me to to to
have a drink of water, becausethere was a point where I was so
engrossed that, as I said, Iforgot to do that.
So I used a fluorescent red dotor orange dot on my computer to
(05:49):
remind me to do that.
It did work, but now I've gotthis big bottle next to me, I
can't miss it.
Basically, I can see that Ineed to have a drink and I can
even track, using that bottle,how much water I've had to drink
.
So that's number three.
Hydration.
Number four not something thatI do, but mindful eating.
So practicing mindful eating bysavoring each bite and being
(06:12):
present during meals.
I try to be present duringmeals.
I, you know, if I'm havinglunch with my wife, for example,
try to be present when you know.
Try, we're not trying.
In fact, I'm pretty good atthat.
When it comes to having lunchwith my wife, it's nice to sit
down, have dinner with the kidsas well in the evenings, being
deliberate about doing that.
So that's mindful eating andthat can prevent overeating,
(06:34):
apparently, and it can improvedigestion.
So I'll have to try that myself.
So number five on my list iswellness rituals.
So this involves considering, orat least you should consider
incorporating wellness ritualsinto your meal time, such as
breathing, such as meditation ora quick walk to recharge your
(06:58):
energy.
I know I again, I don't walk asmuch as I should.
Right now, as I record this,it's, you know, it's pelting
outside with rain, not the mostappealing day to go for a walk,
but it's something that shouldbe done, something that should
be considered, and on days likethis, it might be worth getting
(07:22):
a one of those walking pads thatyou see, one of those automated
walking pads which is similarto the running machines, but you
can put it near your desk orunder your desk.
I mean, for me personally, Icouldn't walk while I was
working.
I've tried it and it hasn'tworked out for me, but if you're
sort of stuck in the house forwhatever reason, having a
(07:43):
walking pad could be analternative to going out for a
walk.
So those are my five tips forthe day.
I hope that one of those tipsyou can use for yourself.
If you found this episodeuseful, please consider
resharing it with your network,with your colleagues, and if you
(08:05):
have any ideas for futureepisodes, please get in touch.
Let me know.
I've left my LinkedIn detailsin the show notes below.
Do get in touch, always open toideas for new episodes and new
guests, and I wish you all thebest with the day ahead.
Hey, it's Alex from Remote Work Life.
I hope this finds you well,wherever you may be, and if
you're new to these episodesthese episodes which I publish
once a week then these episodesare dedicated to giving you,
providing you with quick tips,tips based on things that I've
(00:21):
learnt myself working on aremote basis or working in it,
working generally, or learntfrom others who I've either
interviewed or worked with inthe past.
And, as you can imagine, inanybody's career, especially if
it's been a long career, thereare things that you improve on,
(00:43):
things that you perhaps havebeen challenged with and that
have helped you to learn newthings.
It's no different for me.
I've learnt a lot in my career,but I like to actually pass on
what I've learnt in order to, Iguess, hopefully help those who
may be coming through.
So this episode is no differentto that.
(01:05):
So today, planning andpreparing for the day, including
mealtimes and healthy foodchoices, is something that I
want to talk about, somethingthat I've experienced
specifically that has helped meto improve my not only my
well-being, but also myproductivity.
I'm a big remote work advocate.
(01:26):
I've experienced how remotework has transformed my life and
has helped me to strike abalance between my life and
between my work.
But I've had to do that verydeliberately.
I haven't that hasn't just comenaturally to me at times, and
I've struggled with maintainingenergy.
I've struggled with maintainingfocus through the day, and it
(01:49):
wasn't until I consciouslyplanned and prepared nutritious
meals or healthy snacks, forexample, that I just generally
planned my day, that I began toexperience the true benefits of
working on a remote basis, andthat requires or required me to
be intentional about what I wasdoing.
(02:13):
So here are five things that Ieither do myself or have seen
others do in order to help planand prepare for the day.
So number one is meal planning.
So I tend to schedule the mealsthat I eat ahead of time,
(02:34):
sometimes for the whole week.
I try to plan the schedule ofmeals for the whole week and I
plan nutritious meals and snacksin advance.
I know what I'm going to eatdays ahead, usually five days
ahead.
I plan for those five days andthis can help me to maintain
energy levels and reduce thelikelihood of unhealthy choices,
(02:54):
but also that mental energythat you can sometimes consume
when you're trying to decidewhat to eat, when you're trying
to decide to eat on the spot,and not just the mental energy
but the time that you can wasteif you're going from the fridge
to the cupboard, from thecupboard to the fridge, looking
at things to eat.
That is a drain on your time,that is a drain on your mental
(03:18):
resources.
Even if you only may seem likea small thing, it can take its
toll sometimes.
So meal planning is somethingthat I think is is a good thing
to do.
That's number one.
Number two healthy snacks.
So I, I like to eat betweenmeals and I'm a big eater and I
(03:38):
can get away with it becausebecause of my, my, my stature,
because of my, I guess, mygenetics in many ways.
So I like to eat snacks inbetween meals.
I must admit, sometimes I don'talways eat healthy snacks.
So chocolate biscuits aresometimes found in my drawers,
(03:59):
or, you know, bars of chocolatefound on my desk.
But I try to sort of pair thatwith the more healthy choices as
well.
And obviously exercise can helpsometimes.
But you know, I have to admit Ineed to myself take more
healthy choices when it comes tothe snacks, the in between meal
(04:21):
snacks that I that I eat.
So that's number two.
Hydration, number three.
So three, hydration.
So staying hydrated issomething that I perhaps
underrated in the early days,but what I used to do was just
drink on an ad hoc basis, andsometimes I would get so
(04:41):
engrossed in my work that Iforget to have a drink, and that
would slow me down mentally.
That would slow me down as well, even sometimes from a physical
standpoint, because you knowyou need hydration and it can
make your eyes feel dry, forexample, it can make your your
throat dry, or you can all thoseother things.
(05:03):
So hydration is critical.
Even now, for example, I canfeel that my throat is getting
dry.
So here I've got my glass ofwater next to me, so once I
finish recording this episode, Ican take a drink of water to
rehydrate myself.
And that hydration I wouldrecommend keeping a bottle of
water actually at your workspace.
(05:25):
And what I did as well, I put afluorescent dot on my, on my
laptop, and that was sort oflike a trigger for me to to to
have a drink of water, becausethere was a point where I was so
engrossed that, as I said, Iforgot to do that.
So I used a fluorescent red dotor orange dot on my computer to
(05:49):
remind me to do that.
It did work, but now I've gotthis big bottle next to me, I
can't miss it.
Basically, I can see that Ineed to have a drink and I can
even track, using that bottle,how much water I've had to drink
.
So that's number three.
Hydration.
Number four not something thatI do, but mindful eating.
So practicing mindful eating bysavoring each bite and being
(06:12):
present during meals.
I try to be present duringmeals.
I, you know, if I'm havinglunch with my wife, for example,
try to be present when you know.
Try, we're not trying.
In fact, I'm pretty good atthat.
When it comes to having lunchwith my wife, it's nice to sit
down, have dinner with the kidsas well in the evenings, being
deliberate about doing that.
So that's mindful eating andthat can prevent overeating,
(06:34):
apparently, and it can improvedigestion.
So I'll have to try that myself.
So number five on my list iswellness rituals.
So this involves considering, orat least you should consider
incorporating wellness ritualsinto your meal time, such as
breathing, such as meditation ora quick walk to recharge your
(06:58):
energy.
I know I again, I don't walk asmuch as I should.
Right now, as I record this,it's, you know, it's pelting
outside with rain, not the mostappealing day to go for a walk,
but it's something that shouldbe done, something that should
be considered, and on days likethis, it might be worth getting
(07:22):
a one of those walking pads thatyou see, one of those automated
walking pads which is similarto the running machines, but you
can put it near your desk orunder your desk.
I mean, for me personally, Icouldn't walk while I was
working.
I've tried it and it hasn'tworked out for me, but if you're
sort of stuck in the house forwhatever reason, having a
(07:43):
walking pad could be analternative to going out for a
walk.
So those are my five tips forthe day.
I hope that one of those tipsyou can use for yourself.
If you found this episodeuseful, please consider
resharing it with your network,with your colleagues, and if you
(08:05):
have any ideas for futureepisodes, please get in touch.
Let me know.
I've left my LinkedIn detailsin the show notes below.
Do get in touch, always open toideas for new episodes and new
guests, and I wish you all thebest with the day ahead.
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