If you are like most office workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, during the last month your home has become your children’s school and your office. In other words, home is the new HQ.
With many states still under Stay-at-Home Orders for several more weeks, we have 7 simple tips that will help you stay productive while becoming the master of your new normal.
#1: Maintain a dedicated workspace
Having a dedicated space for your work will ensure you stay comfortable and productive while you are working from home. Structure both your office space and your time by creating a daily list of action items at the start of each day.
#2: Preserve your routine
Routines matter. Try to maintain a routine similar to the one you had before you started working from home. Schedule your work on your calendar, hour by hour. This will help you stay focused and on track. If you are doing video calls or meetings, schedule them into your day.
And replace elements of your routine that are no longer necessary—like your daily commute—with other activities that keep you mentally and physically healthy. Swap out that 20-minute train ride for 20 minutes of yoga or meditation—or crank up the music and dance, dance, dance to get your heart rate up. Dance can be both aerobic exercise and great fun!
#3: Dress the part
Get dressed as though you are going into the office. That means jumping in the shower, combing your hair and putting on appropriate clothing for virtual conference calls. This will give you the sense that you are not just sitting home in your pajamas.
#4: Set boundaries
For parents who are trying to work from home with kids, establish boundaries for where you are working and communicate your expectations and ground rules with anyone else at home with you.
During these challenging times, it is important that you be fully present for your family. Just remember that working from home with kids is a balancing act. You got this.
#5: Stay visible
Many companies are highly compartmentalized. Now is the perfect time to cross-collaborate to work more closely with other departments to show them your capabilities and build your relevance inside the organization.
Be the glue. Dan Pink shares this 2-minute video to show how becoming the “glue” between work circles, functions or projects can significantly enhance your value and build your network.
#6: Keep your network refreshed
Now’s the time to dust off overlooked or dormant contacts, and individuals with whom you have established a relationship but have lost touch with over the years. Former colleagues and old classmates can be found on social media and re-establishing a connection is usually easier than creating one from scratch.
Sharing common experiences can help quickly build or accelerate relationships. The pandemic is a shared global experience to which everyone can relate.
#7: Take virtual coffee breaks
Whether they are scheduled or impromptu, have regular virtual chats with team members. Coffee breaks are a great opportunity to check in virtually to find out how your teammates are doing and to maintain morale.
Helping Your Team Stay Safe While Working Remotely
We can equip your remote workers with the furnishings, equipment and supplies they need to stay productive from home. We can also help by delivering important but hard-to-find staples like toilet paper, paper towels and school supplies for their personal use, and by enabling payment via personal credit card.
Click here to set up residential delivery or call customer service to place an order at (800) 451-3370.
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Resources
Arruda, William. “How To Stay Productive If You're WFH Because Of The Coronavirus.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 20 Mar. 2020, www.forbes.com/sites/williamarruda/2020/03/18/how-to-stay-productive-if-youre-wfh-because-of-the-coronavirus/.
Graham, Dawn. “5 Strategies To Remain Relevant (And Employed) During Uncertain Times.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 27 Mar. 2020, www.forbes.com/sites/dawngraham/2020/03/26/5-strategies-to-remain-relevant-and-employed-during-uncertain-times/.
Graham, Dawn. “Coronavirus And Your Career: How To Effectively Network During A Quarantine.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 19 Mar. 2020, www.forbes.com/sites/dawngraham/2020/03/18/corona-and-your-career-how-to-effectively-network-during-a-quarantine/.
Pink, Dan. “Pinkcast 3.17. This Is How to Win in a Winner-Take-All World.” Daniel H. Pink, 27 Jan. 2020, www.danpink.com/pinkcast/pinkcast-3-17-this-is-how-to-win-in-a-winner-take-all-world/.
