Day 3…
First off, I’d like to get this off my chest — COVID-19 SUCKS. Thank you for listening.
For some of us, it’s day 3 of quarantine during the Coronavirus outbreak. It’s no longer business-casual attire for us. You’re rocking sweatpants, a nirvana t-shirt, and some comfy moccasins. This attire is built for Netflix and chill, not remote work.
In light of COVID-19, companies across the globe are turning to remote work to keep their employees and team members safe, if possible.
A New Frontier
Shifting to remote work can be difficult, especially for employees who have never had the opportunity to do so. And, if you work for a small to medium-size company, chances are your company does not have a remote working policy in place. This is a new frontier for your company and your teams are not used to being a digital nomad. Welcome to the work-from-home club.
If you’re one of the many employees figuring out how to REALLY work from home, you’re probably excited, but also have some concerns.
Like, how will regular communication happen? What am I doing with these projects as I knock them off my Trello to-do list? And most importantly, how the hell do I stay productive for a full workday at home?!
It’s all about eliminating distractions.
Identify Your Distractions (I’m Looking at You, Xbox)
Currently, I’m set up at my dining room table with my laptop, a large second monitor, and an even bigger cup of coffee as I write this.
Out of the corner of my eye, my snack cabinet is calling my name every five minutes. Chips Ahoy M&M cookies sound good now actually. The Honda Civic with the tin can exhaust pipe that keeps driving by my apartment (it’s still not cool bro). My iPhone notifications keep going off with an update about the Coronavirus or a text message saying “Hop on Call of Duty man, I need a third for my Warzone squad.”
I’m sure you can relate, especially to the snack cabinet distraction. But, to be productive to the fullest-sense, we need to eliminate our distractions.
Find Yourself a Quite Place
Sure, the idea of lounging in your pajamas all day sounds great. And if you have a dog, even better. But, I’ll be honest, sitting/laying on my couch wasn’t the best place to set up my work-from-home office. Netflix is just one click away. I don’t really need to watch ‘The Office’ for the 47th time… or do I?
Find yourself a place at home that’s quiet and has the least amount of distractions.
If you have a dedicated office, this probably isn’t an issue. If you live with others or live in a small apartment, you don’t have that luxury of working in your home office.
Find yourself a good location, like at your dining room table. Just watch out for the cat-calling snack cabinet. Put on headphones to eliminate the sound of the annoying Honda Civic outside and start crafting to-do lists and identify your top priorities.
Get Rid of the Crap
At the office, is your workspace clean and organized? If so, then your workspace at home should be too.
If your workspace at the office looks like it’s occupied by the Tasmanian Devil from the Looney Toons, then now is the time to practice organizing your workspace and clearing the clutter.
Set yourself up for quarantine success by cleaning the room or area you’ll be using as your home office. You’ll feel a nagging need to organize those stacks of papers, even if you haven’t in months.
The mail and magazines on your dining room table need to be filed away or recycled. Those mounds of laundry on the floor in your bedroom should be put away.
Do yourself and your company a favor by tidying up the area you’ll be working in.
Ever Use “Do Not Disturb” Mode?
How many company newsletters or “up to 50% off” sales emails are you getting during this coronavirus outbreak? I think I get about 2 a day from both Old Navy and Best Buy.
Marketers know you’re sitting at home, and they’re trying to capitalize on consumers sitting at home, aimlessly browsing the Internet and their iPhones. Consumers are looking for an escape from cabin fever.
If you’re planning on being productive during your time at the work-from-home club, you’re going to need a set of blinders.
You should set both your cell phone and laptop to Do Not Disturb. This means the world isn’t going to pop up and distract you while you’re trying to get work done and be productive.
Use Do Not Disturb to help you focus, rather than suddenly finding yourself scrolling through Instagram or going down a wormhole of YouTube videos.
Listen to Your Apple Watch & Stand Up
Working from home means you’re not walking around the office or even just standing up to talk to a co-worker.
Listen to your Apple Watch or set an alarm every thirty minutes to an hour to remind yourself to stand up. Walk around with your laptop if you’re on a Zoom meeting. Just moved around.
Your physical health will go downhill if you don’t take care of it. Stand up and walk around. Your back, spine, and neck will thank you.
This outbreak and panic will eventually go away. In the meantime, make your life as normal and productive as possible.
Stay safe, hang in there, and take it one day at a time.
