[1]Due to the coronavirus, we were forced to adjust our lives and the way of living. Some of you might find it challenging as you work from home for the first time. Many colleagues usually opt out of teleworking, as they would not feel the pressure to complete their tasks or perhaps they need the social aspect. We found some interesting tips [1] for you.
Getting dressed might be an obvious tip but let’s be honest. How many of you stayed the whole day in your pyjamas? As tempting it might be, if you don’t change everything will be slower throughout the day. Changing clothes is like a signal that it is time to work and get things done. You can even dress like going to the office to feel like a human. It is very important during the breakdown of your daily routines as you might feel cut off from your usual life. Taking care of your appearance can be an important element for maintaining good mental health and a feeling of taking care of yourself.
You need to designate a workspace and define your working hours and breaks, otherwise you will have difficulties to disconnect. Both your work productivity as well as personal life will suffer. You do not necessarily have to work in a separate room (if indeed you have one). However, it needs to give you a feeling of a work environment. You also should bear in mind that you will be spending a substantial amount of time in that designated area. Therefore, you need to sit on a comfortable chair keeping good ergonomics and with natural light, otherwise your health will start suffering later. In the office you also go for a coffee with a colleague. Feel free to connect with a colleague via skype and drink one together as you do when you arrive and have a talk about what happened the day before. Socialising is a crucial part of our lives. Thus, don’t forget to stay in touch and chat about the usual stuff. Just think about how many times you found yourself working longer? You still have to finish one more task. No, you don’t have to. Tell yourself, it is time to recharge the batteries, mentally disconnect from your work and spend good quality time with your family, cooking a nice meal or focus on your hobby. Currently, we no longer have the physical stimulus, leaving our Offices and going home. Turning off the computer will help you to do that move.
How did you usually reach your office? By public transport, walking or by car? If you were used to listening to your favourite music or audiobook, or reading a newspaper, do not forget to introduce bridging activities between office and home. When you finish, you can also go for a walk with your loved one or a pet. Adding a workout is an additional element for a transition from work to home. Maintaining good health will boost your energy and contribute to your general mental well-being, especially important for as long as it is unclear how long the situation will last.
Don’t get distracted, especially listening to the news and current developments regarding the COVID-19 crisis. This might be one of the challenges when working from home and not being used to it. Nobody can focus on work without getting distracted. Reading an article or doing your laundry is fine but don’t go too far and use your new working arrangement as an opportunity to clean up your closet or to do anything that could take your focus. In the end, it is about the trust your manager is putting in you, which should not result in you becoming a control freak either, while the IT issues still arise these days. If you do not do your work properly, it will be visible in the quality or the deadlines missed.
Since we changed the way of working, we have cut down on our daily social interaction. So do not forget to use a video option, when communicating with your manager. Regular interaction will help you to check tasks that have to be done, plan ahead and avoid miscommunication. You should do the same with the colleagues with whom you usually collaborate on various projects.
But what about if you have kids?
When you do not have any children, you can do so many nice things – exercising, meditating, learning a new language, playing the piano, reading books or pursuing any other hobby or activity. BUT, the colleagues with children might experience a completely different reality. Children are very receptive to what is going on around them. Parents have a crucial role to explain to them the situation, as appropriate to their age and reassure them. Those with older children have to work and ensure that their children continue remote schooling. While others with smaller children might face different challenges. They cannot necessarily stay alone in another room when their parents work. They are noisy when your boss is calling and get bored easily, especially when they don’t have any siblings. They might require more attention as their usual activities and daily routines have suddenly changed, without mentioning how much they need to run and jump around. If it was up to them, they would watch Youtube or Netflix and play games all day long. So what to do, when they climb the walls, to remain sane?
The special situation also requires planning a schedule with different activities throughout your children’s day. Now, the parents have to take on the role of teachers in addition to their role as caregivers. Write down your individual plan and stick to the timing. Set a reminder on your phone. Include sufficient free play, also outdoors if possible. As much as it might be difficult, try to connect with your community via video calls with other children. During dinner you can talk about emotions. How is everyone feeling during this outbreak? It is important to discuss with them about anxieties they might have and about activities lost due to closed schools and kindergartens. This can be followed by family play time and usual routines. Get out old-fashioned board games. It might be difficult to stick to the routine these days but stick to regular bedtime without screen time an hour before going to bed. Reading a book or telling a story instead is better. All this needs to be of course adjusted to your children’s age.
More information on childcare during the crisis you can find here:
https://coronavirustechhandbook.com/childcare [2]
Indoor activities for children:
https://www.hellowonderful.co/post/easy-indoor-activities-for-kids/ [3]
Do you have any tips on how you are coping with this situation or are there any other issues that you encounter? Let’s share them and exchange experiences together.