RWL205:Boosting Remote Work Productivity with Meal Planning and Hydration Tips

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 episodes these episodes which I publish once a week then these episodes are dedicated to giving you, providing you with quick tips, tips based on things that I've learnt myself working on a remote basis or working in it, working generally, or learnt from others who I've either interviewed or worked with in the past. And, as you can imagine, in anybody's career, especially if it's been a long career, there are things that you improve on, things that you perhaps have been challenged with and that have helped you to learn new things. 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, I guess, hopefully help those who may be coming through. So this episode is no different to that. So today, planning and preparing for the day, including mealtimes and healthy food choices, is something that I want to talk about, something that I've experienced specifically that has helped me to improve my not only my well-being, but also my productivity. I'm a big remote work advocate. I've experienced how remote work has transformed my life and has helped me to strike a balance between my life and between my work. But I've had to do that very deliberately. I haven't that hasn't just come naturally to me at times, and I've struggled with maintaining energy. I've struggled with maintaining focus through the day, and it wasn't until I consciously planned and prepared nutritious meals or healthy snacks, for example, that I just generally planned my day, that I began to experience the true benefits of working on a remote basis, and that requires or required me to be intentional about what I was doing. So here are five things that I either do myself or have seen others do in order to help plan and prepare for the day.

Speaker 1:
2:27

So number one is meal planning. So I tend to schedule the meals that I eat ahead of time, sometimes for the whole week. I try to plan the schedule of meals for the whole week and I plan nutritious meals and snacks in advance. I know what I'm going to eat days ahead, usually five days ahead. I plan for those five days and this can help me to maintain energy levels and reduce the likelihood of unhealthy choices, but also that mental energy that you can sometimes consume when you're trying to decide what 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 waste if you're going from the fridge to the cupboard, from the cupboard to the fridge, looking at things to eat. That is a drain on your time, that is a drain on your mental resources. Even if you only may seem like a small thing, it can take its toll sometimes. So meal planning is something that I think is is a good thing to do. That's number one.

Speaker 1:
3:30

Number two healthy snacks. So I, I like to eat between meals and I'm a big eater and I can get away with it because because of my, my, my stature, because of my, I guess, my genetics in many ways. So I like to eat snacks in between meals. I must admit, sometimes I don't always eat healthy snacks. So chocolate biscuits are sometimes found in my drawers, or, you know, bars of chocolate found on my desk. But I try to sort of pair that with the more healthy choices as well. And obviously exercise can help sometimes. But you know, I have to admit I need to myself take more healthy choices when it comes to the snacks, the in between meal snacks that I that I eat. So that's number two.

Speaker 1:
4:25

Hydration, number three. So three, hydration. So staying hydrated is something that I perhaps underrated in the early days, but what I used to do was just drink on an ad hoc basis, and sometimes I would get so engrossed in my work that I forget 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 know you need hydration and it can make your eyes feel dry, for example, it can make your your throat dry, or you can all those other things. So hydration is critical. Even now, for example, I can feel that my throat is getting dry. So here I've got my glass of water next to me, so once I finish recording this episode, I can take a drink of water to rehydrate myself. And that hydration I would recommend keeping a bottle of water actually at your workspace. And what I did as well, I put a fluorescent dot on my, on my laptop, and that was sort of like a trigger for me to to to have a drink of water, because there was a point where I was so engrossed that, as I said, I forgot to do that. So I used a fluorescent red dot or orange dot on my computer to remind me to do that. It did work, but now I've got this big bottle next to me, I can't miss it. Basically, I can see that I need 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.

Speaker 1:
6:03

Hydration. Number four not something that I do, but mindful eating. So practicing mindful eating by savoring each bite and being present during meals. I try to be present during meals. I, you know, if I'm having lunch with my wife, for example, try to be present when you know. Try, we're not trying. In fact, I'm pretty good at that. When it comes to having lunch with my wife, it's nice to sit down, have dinner with the kids as well in the evenings, being deliberate about doing that. So that's mindful eating and that can prevent overeating, apparently, and it can improve digestion. So I'll have to try that myself.

Speaker 1:
6:39

So number five on my list is wellness rituals.

Speaker 1:
6:43

So this involves considering, or at least you should consider incorporating wellness rituals into your meal time, such as breathing, such as meditation or a quick walk to recharge your energy. I know I again, I don't walk as much as I should. Right now, as I record this, it's, you know, it's pelting outside with rain, not the most appealing day to go for a walk, but it's something that should be done, something that should be considered, and on days like this, it might be worth getting a one of those walking pads that you see, one of those automated walking pads which is similar to the running machines, but you can put it near your desk or under your desk. I mean, for me personally, I couldn't walk while I was working. I've tried it and it hasn't worked out for me, but if you're sort of stuck in the house for whatever reason, having a walking pad could be an alternative to going out for a walk.

Speaker 1:
7:47

So those are my five tips for the day. I hope that one of those tips you can use for yourself. If you found this episode useful, please consider resharing it with your network, with your colleagues, and if you have any ideas for future episodes, please get in touch. Let me know. I've left my LinkedIn details in the show notes below. Do get in touch, always open to ideas for new episodes and new guests, and I wish you all the best with the day ahead.