Many of us have had to adapt to the idea of WFH (working from home) this past month. If you’re new to remote work, you may struggle to integrate into the fold after your workstation has been set up.
Add in the fact that we’re living in an interesting time where our normal routines have been completely stopped. So, it's ok that thinking about the day-to-day becomes incredibly difficult.
To give you a little motivation, here are some proven strategies you can use to help stay on task and create some work-life balance.
Use Clear Communication
Part of making that transition to a WFH environment successful means clearly communicating needs with the teams, co-workers, clients, etc. Use this time to be direct, not vague or distant, with those you're communicating with. And, if anything changes, communicate it immediately. There are several channels to stay connected. Here are a few:
Chat: Google Hangouts, Microsoft Teams, Slack
Task Management: Asana
Videoconferencing: Zoom
Phone: Just pick up the phone and call!
Schedule Regular Meetings
Becoming intentional with your time is important! It can be easy to bother your co-workers, teams, etc. in a sporadic manner but instead, schedule recurring meetings at agreed upon times. This allows you to connect with others on what the current focus and needs are. You can make a list of the things you need to connect with others on and be prepared to have a more intentional and specific conversation, ultimately working more efficiently!
Emphasize Accountability
Whether you are managing others, or simply managing yourself, accountability is super important. And yes, there is a huge difference between accountability and micromanaging. Creating lists, whether you use a software tool or just an old fashioned piece of paper, is critical in accountability. And, share your "lists" with others. Then, you can use your communication tool(s) and your regular scheduled meetings to check in on how you are doing on your list of "things".
Another technique is to schedule your day in 20 minute increments. During these 20 minutes, you remain 100% focused on a single task and you don't stop and free yourself from distractions (yes, turn off all your notifications and silence your phone). Then, take a 5 minute break. Ultimately moving back into another 20 minutes of productive time!
Practice Self-Care
Retaining physical and mental wellbeing while being at home more often than you are used to is SUPER important. When you do this, even just a few minutes each day, you will notice you have more control over staying calm when thinking about the things that are bigger than you, the things you can't control. Here are a few things you can do to make sure you're not forgetting to take care of you:
Move. Just stand up, stretch, go for a walk outside if you can, or join a fitness class.
Make a delicious lunch.
Get offline. Decompress by reading a book.
Call a friend or family member and spend 20 minutes catching up and laughing about life (see our blog post about Laughter Yoga for some tips).
End the day with a bit of gratitude. Know that we can power through this and send good energy toward those who are scared and suffering.
Innovate
Take time to think about what opportunities our current environment poses. How can we leverage our newfound "isolation" from physically being around others to some deeper thinking and becoming more focused? Use this time to focus inward instead of on hysteria. When we do this, connect with yourself a little more, you're less likely to lose your mind.