Voici comment vous pouvez intégrer des pratiques d’autosoins dans votre routine quotidienne pour concilier vie professionnelle et vie privée.

A tip I took away from my personal coach during lockdown and ever since has been never to go from bed to work. I have built in a virtual commute when working from home, where I either walk my son to school, take my children to Kindergarten, or at the very least walk downstairs, down the garden path, out through the garden gate and walk literally around the block before going home and walking upstairs - a minimum of 1200 steps and three flights of stairs. Done rain or shine, or when it snows even. It also means that I dress to leave the house.

Ever since a painful bout of sciatica put me out of action for weeks, when I ended up translating for weeks in bed I make it a point to start (almost) every day with exercise. In fact, on most days it is something we do together with my wife. After some trials and errors we subscribed to Fitness+ and it gives us our morning dose of activity. The available trainings are of various length and usually instead of taking on a monster of a project we try to combine 2 or 3 short ones. It may be for instance a sandwich of strength training packed between short core stability and yoga. Even a short 10 minute training leaves me with a feeling of a good start and accomplishment.

Start Early: Wake up early to give yourself ample time to ease into the day without rushing. Hydration: Begin your day with a glass of water to hydrate your body after a night's rest. Mindfulness or Meditation: Spend 5-10 minutes meditating or practicing mindfulness to center yourself and set a positive tone for the day. Healthy Breakfast: Eat a nutritious breakfast to fuel your body and mind. Exercise: Incorporate a short workout, yoga, or stretching routine to boost your energy levels and improve your mood.

For me, it is important to have sounds around that help me work. I noticed that any music with lyrics is not helpful for work since it distracts me from the text I'm working with. The same goes for classical music: it doesn't have words, but it still has some kind of narrative that conflicts with my text. So I either go for lo-fi/white noise or, in some cases, for heavy techno or alternative music where words are barely recognizable.

I use the software called Session that utilizes the Pomodoro technique: 25 minutes of work / 5 minutes break. It also tracks time spent on each project. Before each 25-minute interval of work, it prompts me to set intention and then take a deep breath before starting working on it. This is not the only software like this, there are plenty of similar ones including free ones. They are all super helpful!

I would like to add that especially during intense periods when I have less time for activity I find incredibly helpful working at my walking desk. It allows me to combine work with movement and is a real game changer.