5 Ways To Make Working From Home During COVID-19 Work For You
These are incredibly tough times. Many people have lost their livelihoods, and many others are being forced to completely rethink how they work. Let’s take a moment to be supremely grateful for the technology that allows us to even read these words online, the roofs over our heads, and our ability to be resilient. We will get through this, and many many people are worse off than we are. I found it very helpful to remember this.
For those of you that are lucky enough to have work, and who suddenly find yourselves working from home with families or roomies or any other kind of distraction, here are some pro tips on how to manage the changes you are facing in lockdown.
For your own mental health (learned after weeks of mental and physical stress from rubber-necking this pandemic) please limit your time on social media. Try to also limit looking at the news; at the moment I can guarantee you one thing: it’s all bad. Instead, let’s try to focus on how to be productive and work from home, or start a new online business. As a client of mine told me this week - Our wings may be clipped right now, but we will fly again. <3
1. Get up at the same time.
Sleeping in seems like a dream come true when you don’t have to answer to a boss and colleagues, or endure a commute. And sure, you can sleep in if you want to, especially if you used to spend an hour driving to the office everyday. But making yourself get up at the same time every day can help program your brain into work mode and keep your productivity on track, making sure an 8 hour day (and not a 4 hour day) is physically possible.
Parents: Obviously this is NOT going to apply to you unless you are blessed. My kid is my alarm clock and she is erratic A.F. Some days it’s 5:30am, on others it’s 7am. And it’s always too soon. FML.
2. Get dressed!
I’m the first to admit I don’t always get this one down. However, if I do make the effort to do my hair, dress properly (pyjamas or a robe don’t count!), I find I am more efficient and on the ball.
Parents: Just try not to wear the same filthy clothes for more than two days in a row, no matter how comfy they are. I speak from experience.
3. An actual workspace.
This might not be possible right now. Let’s be real, some of us are going to be stuck inside and literally ON TOP of each other for the foreseeable future. So if you don’t have enough space for an actual home office, claim a work space where you can. A part of the kitchen counter, or a coffee table. If you don’t have a zone to put your work energy into, you can get distracted incredibly easily.
Disclaimer: I’m not going to lie. I work from bed FREQUENTLY. It’s amazing. It’s also kind of gross, but I have no one to please but a 3-year-old! My bed is my kingdom, my haven, my recharge station - and I get lots and lots of work done from there. :)
4. Move.
Stand up and just stretch. Do a quick YouTube yoga video. Anything! Put on a favorite song and shake what your mama gave you - whatever you can do to look away from work and move your body. Try to do this at least once every 2 hours. Set an alarm if you have to remind yourself.
Parents: Now that we are in lock-down I need to entertain and exercise my toddler. We go for a dawn run through the local park (literally in the dark) before anyone else is there, and then throughout the day I sporadically watch YouTube videos with various classes on them for her (ballet, yoga, etc). I’m actually hoping I’ll be in better shape after this damn virus than before it.
5. A hard stop to your EOD (end of day).
Just like kicking your bootie into gear in the morning by waking up the same time every day, it helps to have an end-of-day ritual to turn your “work brain” off. If I stay in work mode, then 9 times outta 10, I’ll have to grab my phone half-way thru dinner to answer an email or text. So perhaps close the computer and turn off the phone, or create an EOD dance party, or cook something, or meditate, or have a beer, or do whatever it is you like to do that will create a hard STOP to the work day.
Parents: Your kids need to know that when work is on, you are less available, but they also need to know that when you are not working, you’re 10000% not working and very available. I have been so guilty of being on the phone too much around my child and, at this time especially, we need to try and be present with out little ones, each other, and ourselves.
If you need help getting your business online in these turbulent times, or updating what you currently have, please reach out. We have different scholarships, rates, and offerings for artists (and for those who have been laid-off without savings) and who have a kick-ass idea to thrive online. We’d love to help.