5 Things POPSUGAR Editors Do to Make Every Day Working From Home a Little More Exciting
July 26, 2021
by
AVIEL KANTER
paid for by
AHA SPARKLING WATER™
We partnered with AHA Sparkling Water™ to help you celebrate all those little AHA moments throughout your day.
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AHA!
Joyful Pup Breaks
Everyone who has been working from home these past few months (ahem, year) is likely feeling a bit of burnout. Especially if you have kids at home or are sharing space with a partner also working from home, taking a few moments just for yourself throughout the day is truly essential.
In that spirit, a few of our editors shared what they do during their WFH hours to add some excitement to their days. Keep reading for these little habits we’ve built up, and try some out for yourself next time you’re feeling uninspired.
“My dog is the happiest person I know. Seriously, she’s truly a little fluffy bundle of joy — just looking at her smiling face and wiggling butt spikes my mood tremendously. And working from home has given us both the gift of spending a whole lot more time together during the day. So I’ve made it my mission to really take advantage of that time! During the workday, when I have a slow 30 minutes or hour, I plan different little outings for the two of us. Sometimes we walk around the neighborhood; sometimes we play fetch at the local park; and sometimes we go say Hi to a friend for a quick coffee and pat. Breaking up my day with little joyful moments with my special gal makes each day at home a little brighter.” — Aviel Kanter, associate content director
Spicing Up the Sparkling Water
“Sticking to the same routine day in, day out while working from home was making me a little crazy, so I started looking for little ways to mix things up. Every week, I'd buy a different flavor of AHA Sparkling Water to have with my lunch. On the days when I was sick of my own cooking, sipping a Strawberry + Cucumber or Orange + Grapefruit sparkling water really gave me that variety I was craving. If I'm really feeling fancy, I'll pour my sparkling water into a tall glass with ice and add a couple of fresh berries, a sprig of herbs, or whatever garnish I can find in my fridge.” — Annalise Mantz Lowenstein, editor
“My husband and I moved into our home in summer 2019, and the backyard was a blank slate — and by blank slate I mean weed-covered mess. So once stay-at-home orders were given in March of 2020, I set my sights on fixing it up. Little did I know that would jump-start my passion for hobby gardening — especially in small spaces. Watching a new bud open up, a ground cover spread over what once was bare dirt, or a happy bee visiting a flower I planted from seed isn’t just exciting, it’s downright rewarding — so I make sure to take a walk around my garden beds almost daily, whether or not anything needs tending
to. There’s always something new to discover!” — Christie Rotondo, senior editor
Watching the Garden Bloom
We partnered with AHA Sparkling Water™ to help you celebrate all those little AHA moments throughout your day.
5 Things POPSUGAR Editors Do to Make Every Day Working From Home a Little More Exciting
We partnered with AHA Sparkling Water™ to help you celebrate all those little aha moments throughout your day.
Click to have an AHA moment!
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“To make working from home a bit more exciting, I like to start my days off with a bang. I go for a run and do some weight training, which instantly makes me feel more energized. From there, I'll put on a super comfy yet cute outfit, so that I feel relaxed but polished, which helps set the tone for my entire day. I also like to plan a fun activity for after work,
so that I have something to look forward to. It may be watching a movie I've been wanting to see, going on a picnic, calling a friend, or ordering food from a favorite restaurant.”
— Kathleen Harper, editor
Starting Off Strong
paid for by
AHA SPARKLING WATER™
by
May 19, 2021
Beyond regular shampooing, we don’t pay nearly enough attention to our hair-care routines. But if you’ve ever treated yourself to a pricey
salon appointment, you know that a little massage and scalp scrubbing can go a long way in chilling you out and making you feel pampered.
The good news is you don’t have to go to an actual salon to get the first-class treatment — you can totally do it yourself as many times a week as you like for a fraction of the price, no tip necessary.
Give Your Hair Some TLC
Aviel kanter
Click to have an AHA moment!
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Click to have an AHA moment!
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This Southern-style dinner is an interactive experience that your guests are guaranteed to get a kick out of. Customize the ingredients to your liking — shrimp, cra(AHA)wfish, clams, and lobster all work — then simmer the seafood in a large pot with plenty of spices, potatoes, sa(AHA)usage, and corn. No plates or utensils are needed here — just serve the food directly on a newspaper-lined table. Arm your guests with plenty of napkins and bibs, then dig in.
Seafood Boil
Time to break out that fondue pot in your back cabinet and party like it’s the '70s. There are so many old-school appetizers to choose from: pigs in a bla(AHA)nket, deviled eggs, cheese-stuffed mushrooms, and ham pinwheels. If you’re feeling extra fa(AHA)ncy, serve personal-sized shrimp cocktails in martini glasses.
For the main dish, make a ca(AHA)sserole with a side of glazed carrots. Ask your guests to dress according to theme: think A-line dresses with bold prints, go-go boots, and big hair. And for dessert, try a classic pineapple upside-down cake with a cherry on top.
Retro Dinner Party
This themed dinner brings all the French vibes to your backyard. Swap out the table and chairs for a blanket and cushions. Keep the dinner simple and chic: pick up a large, crusty baguette from the bakery and an a(AHA)ssortment of cheeses and dips (you can’t go wrong with whipped ricotta). To really elevate dining al fresco, bring out the food in a picnic basket, then set the scene with LED lamps and a(AHA)mbient tunes, straight from the shores of Saint-Tropez.
French-Riviera-Inspired Picnic
For an all-hands-on-deck approach, treat your dinner party like a potluck. Pick out a cookbook from your collection, and ask each guest to choose a dish. Make sure you have all the bases covered: a few a(AHA)ppetizers, an entrée (or two), and dessert. For drinks, opt for an easy batched cocktail with two ingredients, like AHA sparkling water and an a(AHA)peritif.
Cookbook Club
The season of outdoor dining under barely working heaters is finally (almost) over. It’s time to take the covers off the pa(AHA)tio furniture and savor that extra hour of sunlight by eating outside. But before you set out the placemats, consider incorporating a theme into your dinner pa(AHA)rty. From '70s-inspired dishes for a retro get-together to blankets and baguettes for a backyard picnic, these themes will bring your outdoor dinners to new heights.
“Since working from home, I’ve definitely gone a few days of not speaking a word — truly, I live alone, and when my calendar is devoid of meetings, it’s just me, my thoughts, and most likely a podcast. Because of this, I started randomly calling my mom at work, which eventually inspired us to decide on a mutual time every day when we’d check in with each other. We’re not big texters, so those daily calls really can make both of our days. The calls only last about 10 to 20 minutes, but having someone to turn to when the days get quiet has been a huge benefit to my mental health, especially when at the start of the pandemic, we’d gone months without seeing each other in person. Now, she’s my lunchtime bestie.” — Samantha Sasso, editor
Lunchtime Chats
“Since working from home, I’ve definitely gone a few days of not speaking a
word — truly, I live alone, and when my calendar is devoid of meetings, it’s just
me, my thoughts, and most likely a podcast. Because of this, I started randomly
c lling my mom at work, which eventually inspired us to decide on a mutual time every day when we’d check in with each other. We’re not big texters, so those daily calls really can make both of our days. The calls only last about 10 to 20 minutes, but having someone to turn to when the days get quiet has been a huge benefit to my mental health, especially when at the start of the pandemic, we’d gone months without seeing each other in person. Now, she’s my lunchtime bestie.” — Samantha Sasso, editor
Lunchtime Ch ts
“To make working from home a bit more exciting, I like to start my days off with
a b ng. I go for a run and do some weight training, which instantly makes me feel more energized. From there, I'll put on a super comfy yet cute outfit, so that I feel relaxed but polished, which helps set the tone for my entire day. I
also like to plan a fun ctivity for after work, so that I have something to look forward to. It may be watching a movie I've been wanting to see, going on a picnic, calling a friend, or ordering food from a f vorite restaurant.”
— Kathleen Harper, editor
Starting Off Strong
“My husband and I moved into our home in summer 2019, and the b ckyard was a blank slate — and by blank slate I mean weed-covered mess. So once stay-
at-home orders were given in March of 2020, I set my sights on fixing it up. Little
did I know that would jump-start my p ssion for hobby gardening — especially in small spaces. Watching a new bud open up, a ground cover spread over what once was bare dirt, or a happy bee visiting a flower I planted from seed isn’t just exciting, it’s downright rewarding — so I make sure to take a walk around my
g rden beds almost daily, whether or not anything needs tending to. There’s always something new to discover!” — Christie Rotondo, senior editor
W tching the Garden Bloom
“Sticking to the same routine day in, day out while working from home was making me a little crazy, so I started looking for little ways to mix things up. Every week,
I'd buy a different flavor of Sparkling Water to have with my lunch. On
the days when I was sick of my own cooking, sipping a Strawberry + Cucumber or Orange + Grapefruit sparkling water really gave me that v riety I was craving. If I'm really feeling fancy, I'll pour my sparkling water into a tall glass with ice and add a couple of fresh berries, a sprig of herbs, or whatever g rnish
I can find in my fridge.” — Annalise Mantz Lowenstein, editor
Spicing Up the Sparkling Water
“My dog is the h ppiest person I know. Seriously, she’s truly a little fluffy bundle of joy — just looking at her smiling face and wiggling butt spikes my mood tremendously. And working from home has given us both the gift of spending a whole lot more time together during the day. So I’ve made it my mission to really take adv ntage of that time! During the workday, when I have a slow 30 minutes or hour, I plan different little outings for the two of us. Sometimes we walk around the neighborhood; sometimes we play fetch at the local p rk; and sometimes we go say Hi to a friend for a quick coffee and pat. Breaking up my day with little joyful moments with my special gal makes each day at home a little brighter.” — Aviel Kanter, associate content director
Joyful Pup Breaks
Everyone who has been working from home these past few months ( hem, year) is likely feeling a bit of burnout. Especially if you have kids at home or
are sharing space with a p rtner also working from home, taking a few moments just for yourself throughout the day is truly essential.
In that spirit, a few of our editors shared what they do during their WFH hours
to add some excitement to their days. Keep reading for these little h bits we’ve built up, and try some out for yourself next time you’re feeling uninspired.
paid for by
AHA SPARKLING WATER™
Aviel kanter
by
July 26, 2021
“To make working from home a bit more exciting, I like to start my days off with a bang. I go for a run and do some weight training, which instantly makes me feel more energized. From there, I'll put on a super comfy yet cute outfit, so that I feel relaxed but polished, which helps set the tone for my entire day. I also like to plan a fun activity for after work, so that I have something to look forward to. It may be watching a movie I've been wanting to see, going on a picnic, calling a friend, or ordering food from a favorite restaurant.” — Kathleen Harper, editor
Starting Off Strong
“To make working from home a bit more exciting, I like to start my days off with a b ng. I go for a run and do some weight training, which instantly makes me feel more energized. From there, I'll put on a super comfy yet cute outfit, so that I feel relaxed but polished, which helps set the tone for my entire day. I also like to plan a fun ctivity for after work, so that I have something to look forward to. It may be watching a movie I've been wanting to see, going on a picnic, calling a friend,
or ordering food from a
f vorite restaurant.” — Kathleen Harper, editor
Starting Off Strong
