I’ve been planning a Work From Home blog series for a while now and thought now would be a great time to start. With the current status of the world. I think we are all in need of a little extra self care right now and a way to make working from home a little more enjoyable. Many people are getting used to the whole “Work From Home” structure and trying to find a way to make it work for them. While there is a ton of information out there about how to best structure your day and stay productive, I wanted to share some off the beaten path ideas that I infuse into my own workdays.
When searching for advice on working from home online, I’ve come across the typical ideas of getting dressed in the morning, setting a dedicated workspace and only working from there, minimizing distractions, time blocking, etc… and while those are all great suggestions, I had to find what works for me. I love the fact that I get to work from home, pup by my feet, listening to music as loudly as I want, and I want to take as much advantage of it as much as I can. With all of that, it’s still WORK and it can all get a little redundant and boring just like any other job. This got me thinking about what I can do to make the day to day more exciting, add in some self care while also being productive, and just take advantage of the fact that working from home means more freedom and flexibility in my work day.
Part One
My first tip? Workday Mocktails! Yes, I realize sipping on a fun drink is nothing revolutionary, but… are you currently taking a moment to make a fun drink in between refilling your coffee mug and trying to get your required zillion ounces of water per day in from that hydroflask sitting by your desk? If you’re not, give it a try!
Don’t get me wrong.. I love a real cocktail, and I hold nothing against you if you decide to indulge with a real drink while you’re working, but I try to save those for the weekend myself and instead use my workday mocktails as a way to infuse a little #selfcare and fun into my day without it resulting in a headache the next morning.
When I start to feel myself losing focus, lacking creativity or overall just feeling a little blah, my first go to move is to whip up a fun mocktail to get out of my chair for a minute, do something different, and feel refreshed. It’s funny how stepping away from an illustrator artboard when I’m in a rut for even just a second to work on a different creative outlet can immediately spark some new creativity and help me to re-focus when I return. If it’s nice out, I may take my mocktail outdoors with me while i do some work out there. Afterall, I love drinking on patios and this is a way to infuse that feeling into my workday.
My number one tip when it comes to making workday mocktails? You don’t need to go out and buy a bunch of stuff to make them! Seriously.. just experiement with what you have at home and start designing some concoctions. Whip out your bar tools kit, use that crushed ice setting on the fridge, muddle some fruit, use one of those sparkling waters in your pantry and pour it all in a cute cocktail glass with a little umbrella to top it off.
Some of the Ingredients I’ve used for mocktails:
Starbucks Refresher Packets
Spark Energy powder
Calm Powder
Sparkling Water (Plain & Flavored)
Mio drink infusions
Propel packets
Various Teas
Plain Water
Gatorade
Assorted Fruit Juices
Margarita Salt
Frozen Lemonades
Sugar for Glass Rims
Fresh Fruit
Frozen Fruit
Fresh Herbs
Lemon/Lime Juice
Tonic
Sprite
Coconut Water
Kombucha
WHATEVER SOUNDS GOOD
Half the fun for me is creating something out of what I currently have at home, but in case you’d like some ideas, I’m including a few mocktail recipes below!
Recipe Credits
Grapefruit Spritzer // Lavender Lemonade // Raspberry Virgin Mojito // Rosemary Blueberry Smash
If you try creating some workday mocktails, I’d love to see! Tag me on instagram @saltwaterdesignsxo and use #workdaymocktails
PS- I’m starting a new digital co-working community called The Saltwater Society! More details to come in a future post, but to start, come hang out on the Slack channel by signing up below! Once you sign up, you’ll receive your slack invite link. In the future, you can expect special resources just for members, member meetups, and more!
Shop some of my favorite products for creating Workday Mocktails below!
Check out part 2 in the series here!
