The president, governor and mayor are advising anyone who can, to work from home now. Some of you provide essential services, which make this impossible. Myself and your fellow citizens thank you for your service. For the rest of us that can work from home, even temporarily, here are 7 tips on how to successfully work from home.
- Routine is key. Now is not the time to spitball this. Get out your phone’s calendar, or planner if you are a doomsday prepper, and schedule your workday. It will take some discipline to make sure you plan your day. Schedule meeting times, short- and long-term tasks, repetitive tasks and new activities. If you are in sales like me, distinguish between productive activities (things that make you money) and non-productive activities (back office tasks). The schedule will keep you on track, so you don’t spiral into workaholic mode or total goof off.
- Take breaks. Working from home involves more stationary activity than you realize. You must schedule breaks to move your body. You may end up sitting for hours in front of a computer oblivious to the effects on your body. Cardio, sunlight and using your five senses are necessary for you to have sharp mental acuity and positive cognitive health. Take walk breaks, run breaks, go out of your door for a few minutes to get your vitamin D. It will fight off depression.
- Separate work from play. You may decide to work with a computer or phone on your bed or another “home like” area. Don’t do it. Designate an area of your home for work and be strict about it. If you don’t create that separation, then one will bleed into the other. Set rules for family members letting them know the boundaries and the rules. If you have small children, teach them to do the same, so they will respect the “work area”.
- Backup your tech. If you are using a desktop, laptop, tablet or phone, make sure to backup your data. Keep more than one copy of your files, databases, contacts, and calendars on different systems. You can save copies to Google drive, I-cloud or whatever you use. Do it now. If your preferred tech crashes, you will be able to recover quickly.
- Stay social, not social media. Make sure you call, text or video important people in your life. Social media is not the same. Direct or “live” contact will keep you connected to other human beings. Social media by itself will drag you into zombie watching. Instead of socializing, social media will have you entertaining yourself. Calling, texting or videoing is active communication. Do it.
- Set goals you can see. Here is the list of things I want to accomplish today, this week, this month. Put them somewhere you can see them. It is your reminder and your motivation to keep doing this crazy work from home. It may include your long-term goals, like that vacation you want to take once you can fly again, or that better home you will buy one day.
- Be grateful. Your new work from home situation may be difficult or unreasonable. People may have expectations of what you are able to do from home. Remember to be grateful. Some people are prone in a bed, fighting for their lives. Others are dealing with situations much worse than you. Say what you are grateful for out loud every day. It will keep your new life in perspective.
I am grateful that you took the time to read my thoughts. Stay Safe. Askhollingsworth.com
Graduate to Homeownership