Currently the whole world is having to do some adjusting; these are unprecedented times. When my Director informed all members of our team that we had to start working from home due to the Coronavirus pandemic, I grew concerned over the uncertainty of not only my job, but the future of many other people’s jobs and businesses.
Having structure in my life is essential, especially given my occupation. Working in the Bailoran office provided me with this stability, as well as allowing me to grow as an individual. So, like many all I could think was, “how am I going to cope?”.
Day 7 of working from home and I am now embracing it. This is how:
Remove anything making you feel anxious
This pandemic has created a world wide panic. No thanks to the news, the memes on Instagram, and videos on Facebook – they’re overwhelming to say the least. I was constantly checking the number of cases of Coronavirus in different countries, the list of symptoms of the virus, and the opinions of health experts on social media.
It provided me with great anxiety and affected my eating and sleeping patterns. Therefore, I decided to turn off news notifications from my phone and refuse to entertain those posts on social media. However, I do tune into Prime Minister Johnson’s daily updates to ensure I’m fully up to date with the ever-changing situation.
Filtering out the fake news, this instantly allowed me to think more realistically and logically. This ultimately created some ease in my mind which allowed me to sleep better at night and feel more refreshed on a morning.
Wake up and get ready!
The first couple of days I would work in my “comfy” clothes. I found this affected my work ethic as I associate this kind of attire with relaxing. I love wearing work attire and making an effort in the office… so why should this stop?
Look good, feel good and do good!
If you are working in pyjamas or “comfy” clothes, you may not naturally perform as well as you would if you are used to working in a suit for example. Keep the structure you are used to and get ready as if you are leaving the house.
Make an office space
An ongoing difficulty for me was: where do I best work within my house?
I would not recommend working from your bed or in the kitchen. You naturally associate your bed with sleeping and may affect your work ethic. The kitchen is a very sociable place in anyone’s household and this may encourage procrastination.
I decided to create a home office in the spare bedroom which had the most natural light as I felt more awake and motivated in there. I set up my laptops and stationery. This instantly provided some structure to working from home as I now have my own space to work from.
Daily communication with colleagues
Self-isolation does not mean you have to stop socialising. Thankfully, the 21st Century allows us to communicate through the internet and mobiles.
Me and the Bailoran Team use ‘Zoom’ for our morning meetings. This allows us to see each other, catch up and make a plan for the day. This brings a sense of normality to this crazy situation. There are also other great virtual applications such as ‘Microsoft Teams’.
Do not forget that your work colleagues, friends and family members still want to see how you are/ how you are coping with everything. Keep up communication!
Look after yourself 😊
Most importantly – we need to remember to look after ourselves both mentally and physically.
Research finds that if you are eating, drinking well and exercising, this enhances your work ethic. The government has allowed 1 hour of exercise a day outdoors. Get yourself outside for some fresh Spring air!
Why not use this self-isolation time to cook yourself healthy meals? Exercise is a great way to stay sane in these times, whilst also giving yourself something to aim for.
I hope you find these tips helpful. If you are feeling unmotivated and anxious, I completely empathise with you but please try not to worry, we are all in this together.
Do not forget that you are doing GREAT! We can do this. #staystrong #staysafe