As someone who has worked from home for the past two decades, I’ve realized that, over time, I’ve become lazier about leaving the house and inserting myself. This laziness has come in many varieties and has been subtle enough so that I haven’t really noticed it much.
I read a post recently, though, that said that the majority of our waking hours should be spent outside of our home, and something clicked for me. The more that we get ourselves out there and move about in the world, the more opportunities and interactions we’ll have. Upon reflection, I’ve decided that this statement is certainly true.
Although I have been extremely productive and achieved a lot sitting behind the busy desk in the corner of my home, I have probably missed out on a lot too. I’ve not had the little everyday interactions that most people in an office setting do. Additionally, I haven’t run into people randomly on the path of my daily commute.
All of this time at home has also made me a bit less likely to want to go out for fun, although I generally love new experiences. Over time, I’ve become comfortable to just kick my feet up and relax or try to get more things checked off of my to-do list during my downtime.
I’ve decided that it’s time to turn these habits around. Even though I work from home, I can still insert myself more in life. As such, I’m planning to take the following actions towards that goal:
- I’m going to do my best to work somewhere else at least one day a week moving, even if it’s just for part of the day. Perhaps I’ll set up shop at a library or local cafe. The change of scenery will do me good and begin to immerse me again.
- I will schedule at least one night or day a week to grab lunch or dinner with friends. It’s always nice to catch up with people and hear about things happening outside of my little bubble.
- I’m going to plan at least one fun activity for myself every weekend. I tend to try to catch up with work, errands, and chores in my extra time, which makes me productive, but kind of boring. I am going to change that.
- When it comes to phone calls, I contact the same few friends over and over again. There are, however, so many people that I’d love to catch up with but never seem to have the time. I am going to make it a point to check in with various people that I genuinely miss, from college and high school friends to former coworkers that I never get to see. You never know when someone will exit your life, and I want to savor every moment with people.
- I already take a Pilates class every day, but I am going to mix up my fitness routine too. There are so many ways to stay active and I have only just begun to scratch the surface in this regard.
Life really is about inserting yourself, and I have made a commitment to try to do that more moving forward. I’ll let you know how it goes.