It’s very easy to find yourself a little discombobulated and less structured when you’re not use to working from home. If that’s you, then it’s important to pause and give yourself some time to get organized.
There is no one way to get yourself set-up, however there are tips and suggestions that could prove helpful.
Here we go ….
Decide on your start and end time for working. Once you do that, start writing down what you want to accomplish during that time. Start with things that you know you must get done, followed by other actions that are not immediate. Triage, if you will.
Ensure however that all the work that you’ve noted isn’t piled into really tedious bundles of work. Spread out your energy throughout the day. One may not realize it whilst it’s happening, and yet one tends to get more agitated when one piles up stress induced tasks or projects. It’s helpful to break down mentally heavy lifting with lighter weight thinking for all tasks and projects. It helps to level out your brain throughout the day.
Make sure that you take standing (stretch) breaks every 30 to 90 minutes as our bodies tend to fatigue and our minds will follow. Hence the need to recharge, often. Recharging also includes hydration and healthy snacks.
If you’re not alone, make sure you communicate with others in your household your working hours, so that you set expectations and avoid any undue distractions.
It’s so easy to get caught up with work when you’re at home, so make sure you stick to your start and stop time so that you can include social conversations with family and/or friends. This social time should also incorporate some form of exercise. Moving your body is a must for helping to reduce anxiety and stress-related concerns.
Our world has been flipped on its head. Whether we realize it or not, COVID-19 is stressful. It’s the fear of the unknown that raises our level of anxiety during uncertain times …. IF, however, we let it get out of hand, it can escalate and move us toward depression. Let’s avoid that.
Muster up enough energy and tap into any sort of ‘positive’ stress by pausing and considering what’s really going on in your life both professionally and personally. Yes, a certain amount of stress isn’t such a bad thing if you take that energy and move it toward something positive.
This energy helps you to think more creatively. You will start to become more resilient. You can even create a sense of clarity when stress is observed and not perceived.
So, first things first – Start by giving yourself permission to ease into how you want to work from home. Organize yourself in a way that will allow you to flow into your day once you settle into it.
Consider that there are many ways to work, and yet the only way is to start by taking a deep cleansing breath in and discover within your new working situation that you do have choices.
Discover how you want to work best within this changing landscape. Know that it’s temporary.
You don’t need to feel overwhelmed. And most importantly know that you’re not alone. We’re all in this together.
Reach out and communicate within community chat groups with all the other millions of people that are now working from home. The understanding is there.