I’ve been working remotely for four years now; that means that I’ve also been working alone all this time. So, trust me when I say that I know what it’s like to work by myself…a lot. At first, it was definitely an adjustment.

As a hardcore introvert, I was excited to get into my own workflow, and not have any coworkers distracting me. I’ve always wanted to be just a working girl with her career on her laptop. The truth is, when you work all day every day by yourself, it can be isolating. I quickly realized I missed a collaborative environment where we could just turn around, tap a shoulder and exchange new ideas.

Working from home, or on your own, means that you may need to work a little harder to spark some creativity. It’s completely possible!

Set Up Your Optimal Environment

I am lucky enough to have my own office, and I was careful to make it a place that I would always want to be in, whether I was working or not. What does your perfect workspace look like? Maybe you’ll switch things up and go from the couch to the dinner table someday. Think about what makes a simple flat surface an ideal work area for you that will keep you pumped and on task. For some people, it can be colorful Post-its to keep notes together or a few essential crystals for meditation.

Creating a work setting for yourself that cultivates creativity and motivates you throughout the day is important. But it is up to you to figure out what that means since we don’t all work alone alike. Comfort and few distractions will do your workflow a lot of good.

Collaborate Virtually

No, our coworkers are no longer just a few feet away. So, it’s time to get creative about collaborating. Luckily, technology has worked wonders in terms of the collaboration tools of all kinds. Weekly, I get together with a few coworkers to go over what’s going on in the news and brainstorming new pitch ideas for our clients. If you’re a freelancer or solopreneur and don’t have co-workers, try to find an accountability partner or a small group of professionals in your industry that you can count on. Start a Slack channel and use that to collaborate throughout the day, or hop on a Zoom session where you and someone might just sit on video, silently working, but together.

Creativity comes in many forms, and from many places. However, one of my favorite ways to spark creativity is through collaboration and sharing ideas. Figure out how you can make this work for you—how do you best communicate with people, and how can you ensure that you are still finding ways to come together with people that ignite your passion, or simply just push you to work productively.

Pause It All

Working by yourself could mean that you have much more noise throughout your day, and fewer ways to decompress. It doesn’t take much to feel the overwhelm when you feel like you’re in this alone. Thus, killing all possible creativity and productivity, and feeling stuck in a de-energizing loop.

Times like this, sometimes there’s only one thing to do: step away from it all. That’s right. Take a true break! Don’t think about work. I like to take my dog out and kick the ball for an hour, or until I feel like myself again. Getting away from stressors is important if you want to have a good work-life balance. And while I believe it’s something you’ll always be working on, taking time for yourself is the best thing that you can do in most instances. Walk away and do something that will make you feel reinvigorated when you get back to your desk.

Throw In a Workout

I personally don’t exercise as much as I would like to, or even as much as I should. But I have to admit, that moving my body does me a lot of good in the mental health department. Whenever I feel cloudy, or uninspired, I get in my Pilates chair and start moving around. Even if it’s just for 15 minutes, it gets me to focus on something else.

Plus, think about how often you actually leave your chair. Because sitting is the new smoking, I try to get up from my desk as often as I can, even if it’s just to climb my stairs for a good 10 minutes.

Work Outside

If you can relate to feeling “trapped inside” when you work from home all day, then working outside is a must. Seriously, just try it! Even if you just sit out there for 30 minutes or an hour with your laptop, working outside is a completely different feeling. When I used to work while traveling, my favorite thing to do would be to work outside. From the beaches of Panama to the Hoover Dam, working outside gives me so much energy, to the point that it has cut my workdays in half even.

Absorb

Having my fair share of uninventive moments has ultimately taught me to become a sponge. It is completely normal to have trouble with creativity. This is a great moment to indulge in your favorite things. Whenever I need to spark creativity, I really enjoy flipping through a magazine, reading a book or simply scrolling through my Tumblr feed. Even if it has nothing to do with my current situation, I can appreciate art and pretty things, and feel something from it.

featured image via Natalie Borton