Thanks to Covid-19, many of us are now spending more time working from home than we might want to be. If you’re finding it hard then know you’re not alone. Here are some tips that can help make your day and week a little easier.
Home is full of distractions in a way that offices are usually not. If you can, try to set up a designated area for work. It will help to create a small sense of ‘going to work’, even if that only means moving from the sofa to the kitchen bench.
Try to stick to a daily routine and maintain your regular working hours – do at home as you would if you were in the office.
Decide when to start work, and when you should call it a day.
Create a timesheet or schedule of tasks to complete for each day, and try to stick to it.
Manage your time by allocating slots for each piece of work in your calendar.
If you’re not the only one in your household who is home-bound try to agree on some boundaries and ground rules.
At the start of each day, talk to each other about your schedules and the times when you need to ensure you have no distractions or interruptions.
Juggling children who are home as well is another huge challenge. Breaking the day into chunks of activities can make it more manageable.
Letting them have screen time when you have meetings or urgent tasks might also afford you some breathing space.
If you’re sharing the load with a partner then taking shifts can at least ensure that you each get some focussed time in the day.
Feeling disconnected or a bit lonely can be part of the working from home lifestyle. It might help to:
Have daily ‘stand ups’ where you check in each morning about what’s in store. This can create that feeling of connection and collaboration.
Schedule regular catch ups to make up for those impromptu chats or discussions you miss when you’re not in the same space.
Reach out and ask for five minutes from someone if you need assistance or clarity around a task.
Be open to communicating via phone call or video chat, rather than just interacting from a keyboard.
Take the time to ask your teammates how they’re doing. Chances are they may be having similar challenges to you.
Finally, know that it’s natural to be feeling a sense of anxiety after so much rapid change. Concerns about the wider world will likely have had an effect on productivity levels too. Make sure you cut yourself some slack if your thoughts and priorities drift from time to time. Try to:
Acknowledge how you’re feeling and recognise that it’s part of the situation we’re all facing. It’s okay to feel what you feel.
Instead of being critical with yourself for how you’re coping, try to be kind. Comfort yourself the same way you’d comfort a friend through tough times.
Remember that you’re not alone. We need to keep reminding ourselves that we’ve got to look out for one another and be compassionate towards our own and other people’s struggles.