This May Not Be Temporary

Predictions differ and its impact on how we work, and where we work, has yet to fully settle. While countless locales across the nation have “shelter in place” orders that require staying at home and practicing social distancing, it’s unknown how long these orders may be needed and if they will be extended.

With that in mind, it’s smart to be proactive and set yourself up for the potential long haul with your work-from-home and (possibly paired with helping kids study from home) plans.

Create New Routines

If you’ve always worked in an office, it can be very disorienting to say the least to suddenly find yourself working from home. While before you had a much clearer separation between your personal and professional life—with your office, computer, colleagues, and supplies at your fingertips—being at home makes the work-life distinction much more ambiguous. For one thing, you have domestic distractions all around you, from the minute you wake up to the minute you go to sleep.

Within this non-business setting, you must carve out designated time to work on company projects and reach your deadlines. If you don’t proactively determine your work schedule, it’s easy to find yourself absorbed in household chaos — or if others are working from home with you, constantly pulled off-task into non-productive conversations.

Learn to Block Time Slots

To avoid this, use the time blocking method to identify, in advance, predictable daily rhythms and routines that you can count on to get your work done. Time blocking simply means indicating on your calendar, in a smartphone app, or on a piece of paper which hours you will devote to your various to-do items.

Since all of your time during this particular period will now be spent working from home, you should time block not only for your work tasks but for your personal ones as well. A good movie allows one to escape from the current situation that we are all in together. It's important to block time for yourself. Here's a list of some oldies but goodies that keep the mind activated, inspired and motivated. Save for your next time out from remote working. 

WORD UP:

Working remotely in the new normal of a global pandemic is far from ideal. But if you take some time to familiarize yourself with remote work best practices and prepare yourself to work at home as effectively as possible, you’ll decrease the learning curve and feel better in the process.
 

                Keep Safe and Healthy,                    
TeamSWOMI