There's no doubt that this is a very scary and unsettling time for everyone. I hope you all have everything you need, practicing social distancing, and of course washing your hands. It's important to at least stay up to date on what's going on but at the same time not drive yourself crazy about it. My work has been preparing me about this situation for the past couple of weeks so I've been trying to do the same for home. Stocked up on a few things and not overbuying like the panicked have been in the last week or so. It was hard trying to mentally prepare for the reality that things were going to be different for the next few weeks...
Since my personal work isn't considered "critical" I have been assigned to work remote until further notice and refrain from meeting my internal and external customers. I usually do this once or twice a week but this time, since this is enterprise wide- we don't have the bandwidth to support everyone working from home. Unfortunately for my team, we have been told unless we its an urgent matter, we are to stay off of our VPN and "work offline". Currently on my second week WFH, and I had to do something different. If you're already starting to go stir crazy at home here are a few things you can do to staying productive during this confusing time.
Create a new routine: How you start your morning will shape the rest of the day. It's the best time to program your brain to be productive. Avoid being on your phone first thing (really hard for me since I check my meetings and emails). Here are some of my ideas I'm going to try to work on: have that fresh cup of coffee, stretch, make breakfast, exercise, or shower. This week I started morning smoothies, it's also helping save from getting my normal Starbucks!
Set goals: It's important to define goals to get something/things accomplished. Plan, plan, plan is A MUST. It's very important to be organized- have a to do list and prioritize. Having a specific number, time and/or dates will help set goals. In the beginning of the week I make a list of what I need to do. Once that's defined, I put it on either my work or personal calendar. I usually give each task an hour to accomplish but certain things can/will take up more.
Designate a workspace: Unfortunately I've never had a designated a workspace here at home so this was just all over for me. It was mostly on the couch but also my bed, my vanity, the kitchen counter, and the dining room table. I found this out quick- when you work on your bed or on your couch, your brain thinks its time to be sleeping or relaxing watching tv, making you procrastinate. After 1 week, I have a whole new set up just for me!!
Remove distractions: I'm sure this is social media for everyone, or sometimes it could be the tv. If that's your phone altogether, put it away or put it on silent. Sometimes I put my dogs in timeout in a different room during conference calls or live meetings on Teams/Skype. Find out what distracts you and stay away from it. I have to tell people I'm going to be busy so unless it's important, I'll call/text you later - basically DO NOT DISTURB.
Take breaks: It's impossible to stay focused for hours, after awhile you're not going to be productive. Make sure you take breaks between your work, you need to let your brain breathe. Managing your time for each task, you'll be less likely to procrastinate. I've been drinking a lot of water lately so that helps me get up and walk to refill or use the bathroom. Also on nice days I'll be taking the pups outside for a walk or just sit up front with them for some fresh air. Maybe do some house tasks like put the dishes away or start a load of laundry.
This will for sure be an adjustment to be home for who knows how long. For those who have children, I'm sure it'll be more challenging but I hope this will help. Let me know how it works out for you guys!
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