5 Tips for Working From Home During the Coronavirus Pandemic
Did your company just extend your work from home order? How have things been going?
Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, only around one in four workers reported having a job that allowed them to work from home. But as social distancing measures were put in place nationwide, many companies were forced to rethink their policies. Depending on how employees fare during this time away from the office, it’s plausible even more employers will elect to go this route in both the immediate and distant future. (Think of the savings on overhead costs!)
Working from home can be a huge blessing and opportunity—especially in times like these—but it requires focus and discipline. There tend to be more distractions in your house than in an office setting, and adding kids and a spouse who is also working from home can make a challenging situation even more so.
Eliminating the daily commute can be a great time-saver, though, and simplify your day. On the other hand, it might also be hard to transition from work to home mode when it’s quitting time. This may compromise what would normally be a healthy work-life balance.
However, since staying away from the workplace is the current reality for millions of Americans, there are plenty of things you can do to get through this time without getting completely derailed.
Tips for Successfully Working From Home
Just like anything else in life that you want to do well, you should start with goal-setting.
1. Set goals.
Figure out what the ideal situation looks like right now. Whether you are working from home temporarily or permanently, it is important to define and reassess your goals to accommodate the situation.
It is okay to reprioritize—and probably pretty wise. Working from home may provide some amazing opportunities, but it can also pose some significant challenges. Figure out how it will affect you and adjust your goals to overcome.
Determine a daily baseline. You likely won’t be as productive at home right now (especially if you live with others) given everything else that you’re trying to balance. But that’s OK—and to be expected.
What do you have to do every day to keep in line with your goals? These are called key performance indicators, or KPIs. Measure KPIs, ensure they are in line with your goals, and then if you accomplish them every day, you will achieve your objectives.
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2. Accept and embrace the new normal.
No matter how much you hate the current virus situation, you cannot change it. Even though it’s hard, we just have to get through it. The sooner you realize this fact and accept it, the better off you’ll be.
Attempt to take it even further—embrace what’s happening and find the silver lining. If you identify the bright side, you will be unwavering.
3. Come up with a routine.
Schedule your day. Start first thing in the morning, the minute that you wake up.
To perform at your peak, you need to wake up with purpose, ready to take on the day and get things done. If you wake up without a plan, you likely will feel overwhelmed and won’t achieve a lot. You’ll spend much of your day figuring out what you should be doing and floundering without purpose.
That’s why it’s important to start off right; the momentum you build can carry you through the rest of the day.
Not a morning person? It’s not as hard to become an early riser as you might think. With the right motivation, you can indeed change.
Consider this: Study after study has shown that people who wake up early and have a successful morning routine are not only more productive but also less likely to suffer from or struggle with obesity.
If you need some help with this, check out what some of the most successful people do first thing every morning.
Once you’ve come up with your plan, you need to stick to it and be very disciplined.
4. Commit and be disciplined.
Stick to the plan! Focus on your morning routine and the things you can control. If you start the day off right, the momentum will carry you throughout the rest of the day. Refuse to let Netflix, the kitchen, your family/roommates, etc. interrupt your day, your to-do list, and your KPIs.
_ Related: 3 Productivity Books That Changed My Life_
5. Give yourself some grace.
Lastly, give yourself some grace, especially during the COVID-19 crisis. Nothing happening in the world is normal or without consequence. It is absolutely imperative that you take care of yourself. These are unprecedented times, and there’s a lot of pressure on us—whether we realize it or not.
Bonus Tips
Here are a few other ways to live your best work-from-home life:
- Dress the part.
- Drink tons of water.
- Eat well as often as you can.
- Get enough sleep, and wake up and go to bed at your normal times.
- Exercise every day.
Do you have any tips to add?
Leave them below in the comment section.