Tips for Working from Home During Coronavirus (Part 1)
Coronavirus has already caused a massive disruption to our everyday lives. Many schools and workplaces are closing, travel has been restricted, and large event gatherings are being canceled in order to help contain the virus while it’s still early in the U.S. outbreak. Because so many individuals are transitioning to work from home, we at McCauley Marketing have decided to put together a list of tips to help you stay on track. Part one of this blog is dedicated to help you get motivated and excited about working from home during this trying time.
Start a routine. Remote worker routines are essential to productivity success. Before you start working, develop a morning routine. It could be something as simple as making coffee, eating breakfast, exercising, or reading the news in the morning. Find a small activity that tells your brain that it’s time to get to work. Once you have a small morning routine in place, make sure to also find methods and processes for your daily tasks. Whether you organize them digitally, in writing, or in both, setting goals on a daily calendar will create structure which will help you maintain productivity throughout the day. Set regular hours for yourself so that your boss, coworkers, or customers know reliable times to reach you. For example, if your hours are normally 9am to 5pm, it’s important to keep these same hours. Remember, this is not a vacation, it is a simply a different work environment and should be treated as such.
Get dressed. Part of your morning routine should also include getting dressed. Staying in your pajamas and robe all day can put a damper on your productivity levels. Get dressed and wear shoes. This will help your mind get into work mode and you’ll already be well-prepared in the case that you need to take a video call or meet a client. Although some people can remain productive despite their comfy apparel, it is a good idea to make small distinctions between your work life and your relaxing life.
Remove distractions. While working from home, you may also find yourself more easily distracted. This is because working from home has hurdles that the office doesn’t. Removing distractions can be difficult, you may have a spouse, children, or pets to care for while you are working—or you may have household chores or errands to run. Remember that you are working, and the errands and chores can wait until break time or end of day. Additionally, it will be important to set rules for your children, spouse, and pets. This (hopefully temporary) new normal is an adjustment for the entire household. Talk through ideas, rules, and solutions so that your family knows the proper ways to make your working from home life easier. Above all, be patient. Creating a viable work environment away from other household stresses is vital. You could use your basement, a home office, the dining room table, or a quiet porch to do work. Just make sure that your environment is distraction-free and productivity promoting.
Your productivity will be a result of how you set yourself up and how disciplined you are to stick to the work schedule you have created. You can either set yourself up for failure or for success. If you happen to be interested how our marketing services can help with your business success, feel free to call McCauley Marketing Services to schedule a meeting at (770) 447-1114. For more tips and tricks on workplace productivity and marketing, don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Stay tuned for part two where we share how to maintain productivity levels while working from home.