The coronavirus outbreak has had an unprecedented impact on our personal as well as professional lives. The virus originating in Wuhan has spread across the world in a matter of weeks. This has led to a global shutdown of offices and other public and professional avenues so as to contain the spread. Thousands of employees in India are now working from home or working remotely, where they virtually interact with their colleagues. Some of us are well adjusted to this shift but some people may struggle to have an impact on their work and maybe thrown off as a result.
There are several steps that can be taken to ensure that you can have productive work from home during the coronavirus quarantine. Some of the easy steps include keeping a calendar, creating a daily to-do list and setting boundaries between work and home. But, for the people who want a more specific dive into the solution, here are the top 10 Tips to work from home during the Coronavirus Quarantine.
1. Getting dressed in the mornings:
Getting yourself ready for the day has a psychological impact on your attitude and personality. When you dress the part, you will get to a state of mind that can help you complete your tasks in hand. Getting dressed will also help you communicate and have video conferences with your colleagues and clients without any delay. So just like how superheroes dress the part, dress the part and bring out the superhero in you.
2. Get a Workspace:
Getting an area in your home or at your residence solely for your work is critical. Having a home office is ideal, but if you lack one find an area with minimum distractions and good comfort. This will help you separate your work from your personal life. Put some ingenuity and you can turn any place into a workstation such as a kitchen table, your gaming desktop or even just a chair and a table. Set your work hours and get to it.
3. Make a to-do list:
Making a to-do list is one of the most important activities of the day. As you start your day you have to make a list that has all your appointments, tasks and activities that are to be achieved for the day. This is an important tool in staying productive and helps you get back on track every time you are distracted.
4. Prioritize and schedule work:
Sometimes work can be overwhelming with the number of activities and targets to be achieved. The best way to tackle this problem is to set priority on which tasks to go for first. And once the priorities are set in place, create a routine around it so that you can feel well adjusted in a few days. This routine is essential and will help you become more productive with ease.
5. Read:
Working from home has brought a new opportunity as you will have so much more time in your hands. You will not have to sit in traffic or wait for the bus. No more getting ready for office in the morning or going out for a run. So, this leaves a lot of time for you to catch up on reading great books. Reading some nonfiction and fiction creates a habit in itself that you can carry over when the lockdown is complete. Reading is essential to self-development and intellectual growth.
6. Learn new skills:
We all love our jobs and some of us are very good at it. But, it doesn’t mean that we can’t improve. Take the time to invest in yourself and make the most of this opportunity upgrading your skills. You can take online lessons and classes from sites such as Skillshare and Udemy, and learn or level up your skills to get your work done more efficiently. Moreover, you can also learn new musical instruments or learn a new language at this time.
7. Workout or stretch
Working out and stretching will give your body a break from being idle all day. Far from the workouts from a gym or going out for a run, but working out indoors can have both positive physical and mental effects. Start slow and pick up the pace of your workouts as you progress. Get some amazing instructional and how-to videos for everyone on Youtube and other websites.
8. Lead with trust:
If you are a leader, a person in charge of a team or simply want to inspire others it may be difficult right now. Find different means of getting your messages through and find the best way to communicate with your peers. Help whenever possible and find out time to understand what is happening in your colleague’s life. Building better relationships ensure you can pick up where you left off after the curfew.
9. Understanding responsibility:
Most of us have had a person guiding us. It can be a boss, a mentor or a teacher. But the true test comes up when you are left alone with your responsibilities with nobody else to guide you. Try to use the above methods to distance yourself from the distractions and get your work done in the best way possible. It may not be easy to do your work sitting at home, but understand that there are many people working out of a laptop all around the globe.
10. Sleep and meditation:
There is no better time to catch up on those well-deserved sleep and meditation that you have been pushed out in your normal life. Sleep is essential to all your activities as it replenishes your energy and puts you in a positive mood. Meditation everyday for 10 minutes can give you immense mental clarity to work towards your goals.
We hope all these steps help you get the best productivity out of your work from home experience. Remember to stay at your home and wear protective gear when stepping out. Sanitize and stay at home and before you know it we will be well beyond the coronavirus situation.
