Make Your Mark Moments: Danijela Unkovich
How did the isolation period impact Danijela’s day-to-day life?
The prospect of working from home, isolated from our colleagues, was something a lot of us accustomed to living the office life struggled to adapt to. However, as Danijela entered her second month of the New Zealand country-wide lockdown earlier this year, she had positively adjusted to the demands of self-isolation.
As a Registered Nutritionist who works closely with the community and in private practice, Danijela admits she was initially challenged with the lack of face-to-face interaction and in-person check-ins. Building rapport is key, but providing support to those who needed it most was paramount and Danijela quickly transitioned to providing consultations and digital check-ins through Zoom and Skype.
How does Danijela remain inspired while staying at home?
In a pursuit to support her community, Danijela finds inspiration in following the journeys of small local businesses and learning how owners have adapted to work with the circumstances at hand. With the lift of lockdown in New Zealand, Friday night takeout just became a whole lot more meaningful.
In her time of self-reflection, Danijela tunes in to her curated podcast list to keep her vibes at an all time high. Her current favourites: The Food Medic and How to Fail.
The Importance of Daily Routine:
Danijela embraces a personal motto: life begins each morning, meaning that every day presents a new opportunity to be better and do better despite any circumstances. A nutritious antioxidant-packed breakfast is absolutely essential, and of course looking your best self, albeit in the most comfortable way (hint: track pants and a sweater are essential.)
While working from home, Danijela believes it is increasingly important to keep to routine and mimic her usual day-to-day. She also ensures she takes micro-breaks to move, whether that be walking around the house or embracing the rare occurrence of the New Zealand sun for 5 minutes.
A lesson on staying positive and being the best version of yourself everyday.
One thing that Danijela passionately speaks to during this time is to ‘check in with yourself’. With the extra time on our hands, she emphasises that we learn to ask how we feel and spend this time understanding what we truly need each day to make us happy.
Prior to the pandemic, Danijela admits she was caught up in a whirlwind of work and juggling various roles, something which we can all relate to. Finding an opportunity to connect with herself has allowed Danijela to clearly define who she is, what she wants from her career and how to best apply her time to the development of personal projects.
Working from home can be a challenge for us all as we thrive off structure and routine.
To conquer her new normal, Danijela has implemented the Pomodoro technique; a time-management system that breaks your work day into 25 minute sprints with the separation of 5 minute breaks. Rather than working against the time you have at home, you’ll learn how to work within it.
How does Danijela #MakeHerMark?
Professionally and personally, Danijela has a core focus on well-being, and is a role model for introducing simplified structure to our lives in times of change. She is Making Her Mark by stripping back her usual day-to-day life and allowing time to slow down and reconnect with herself.
Embrace new habits:
- Check in with yourself.
- Try new things. Attempt the Pomodoro technique.
- Keep to routine. Say goodbye to your hourly trip to the fridge and mimic your day-to-day routine pre-pandemic.