How to work from home during quarantine and not go crazy
'19.03.2020'
Source: Gossip
The spread of coronavirus has influenced a wide variety of areas of life. Today it doesn’t matter whether the news speaks about the world of art or the economy: without mentioning the epidemic, things are unlikely to do. The pandemic announced by WHO has significantly changed the plans of many people, recalls "Gossip".
And if at the very beginning only avid travelers clutched their heads, watching how flights were canceled and borders closed one by one, now office workers are in the chaos zone. Many companies have decided to transfer employees to a remote mode of operation - for most, this format is unusual, and therefore it may seem uncomfortable.
The long-established mechanisms and familiar routines have to be urgently reviewed, and without a traditional cup of coffee, can your colleagues work at all? We decided to collect some tips in our material on how to organize a workplace at home and how best to survive this period of voluntary-compulsory detention in four walls.
At first glance, working from home may seem like a paradise: you don’t have to spend time on the way to the office, your favorite sofa is on your side, there are no traditional disputes about open windows and air conditioners turned on, as well as an employee who distracts the whole open space with his personal conversations on the phone.
It would seem that here they are - ideal conditions for productive work. But no - it is in these details that those devils are sitting who are capable of completely destroying the whole working spirit. We figure out what points you should pay attention to so that everything goes as it should in the home office mode.
Physical state
The road to the office, of course, takes up valuable time, but it gives you the necessary physical activity, especially if you refuse personal transport. Walking through the apartment the same number of steps during the day will still be difficult, even if you rush about like a lion in a cage (and here, of course, unresolved psychological problems will add to the solved physical ones - walking from corner to corner is unlikely to cheer up).
The most cautious now refuse to go to fitness clubs, so you have to remember the good old exercises. Since there is no need to rush in the morning now, devote half an hour to the simplest exercises that do not require equipment, such as squats, bends and push-ups. Take short breaks to work out to warm up.
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Head around mode
For many, work from home seems like a vacation - well, or at least an opportunity to make yourself many concessions. But no matter how attractive the prospect of writing a quarterly report, without getting out of bed, you should not give in to this temptation. One of the main difficulties of a home office is not to lose the line between home life and work that is clearly done on ordinary days.
Here it is worth taking the advice of experienced freelancers. Many of them openly admit that the regime fell victim to a floating schedule.
"While you are having breakfast, you are already checking your mail, you start answering letters, and away you go - at lunchtime I remembered that I forgot to take a shower."
“I should take my head off my work and remember that my teeth are not brushed. Hours at six in the evening ”, - experienced freelancers now share their experience on Facebook and urge not to repeat their mistakes.
It is advisable to keep the usual daily routine. Get up at the same time that you’re used to, despite the fact that you don’t need to get to work now: it’s better to spend free minutes and hours on charging, reading news and a measured breakfast, which you can finally afford.
No matter how tempting the possibility does not seem to get out of your pajamas, it’s better to get out of it. Of course, you should not follow a strict work dress code at home, but it makes sense to highlight a couple sets of casual clothes that you can change into.
Rituals are an important part of our lives, and it’s easier not to destroy existing habits than to develop them again later. In addition, a tidy look will help to tune into a working mood.
You should not turn your bed into an office, as ideally the bedroom and kitchen should remain free from work areas. If possible, give yourself one specific place in the apartment where you can equip a temporary workplace, and do not drag the laptop from the chair to the sofa, but from the sofa to the kitchen, closer to the snacks.
Food
By the way, about sweets. It’s not in vain that a funny meme is walking around the network about how celebrities will look after forced quarantine: in the pictures they are depicted as very plump.
So that the self-isolation mode does not bring a couple of unsolicited kilograms, it is worth remembering a few simple rules.
1. Do not buy in bad snacks. No sandwiches and chips - prepare vegetables or a handful of nuts for snacks.
2. No food at the workplace: yes, home conditions can be spoiled, especially when the refrigerator is nearby, but try to observe the same rules that apply in the office at home. The opposite rule applies - no laptop at the dinner table! Nobody took your legal break.
3. Cooking will save you from overeating. Enter a simple rule: hungry - cooked (rather than grabbing something purchased). Allow yourself time for a full meal. In addition, cooking is a great way to switch in conditions when there is not much variety of activities. Why not make yourself a menu of not too complicated recipes that you have long wanted to try and not please yourself every day with a new dish?
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Work processes
Many work from home causes a stupor, because it is unclear how to properly organize their work. Now you will not call colleagues in the meeting room and you will not go to the neighboring department to clarify the details. Frightened by isolation from colleagues, and vague ideas about how to report on the work done.
It is clear that any business has its own nuances, which will be easier to take into account by the specialists themselves. But a few general recommendations will help at least not to succumb to panic, not to feel abandoned, and most importantly, to optimize work from home to the maximum.
Agree with your colleagues how you will keep in touch: in the early days of large-scale quarantine, the network was filled with photos of morning meetings on Skype, Zoom and other services that allow for video conferencing.
Confirm the time for morning phoning to discuss plans for the day, distribute tasks and just wish everyone a good day! Such a ritual will not only help organize your day, but also give confidence.
Do not be afraid to once again write in a working chat in order to clarify something or ask for advice, continue to communicate with colleagues as if they were sitting next to you. If your team has an informal and friendly atmosphere, agree to get in touch with video calls and, for example, at lunch time, just to chat.
Try at home to follow the same system that was developed in the office, solving problems in the usual way. Write yourself to-do lists, trying to link them to specific time periods: for example, before lunch, I will analyze all the mail, and after that I’ll take up a report or presentation. This approach will help maintain a clear work schedule.
Observe working hours - the fact that you are now always at the computer does not mean that you are obliged to work after hours, unless this, of course, is implied by your position. Do not take on more tasks, thinking that you will have more time.
Me and my whole family
Switching to home office mode yourself is not as scary as organizing a work process in a family environment. Husband or parents are also not allowed to work, and schools and kindergartens are quarantined? Well, the situation is not simple, but it can be dealt with.
The rule of “negotiate with the children what time they can come to you” sounds perfect, but it only applies to some ideal children. Normal children at this time want to go to the toilet, eat, drink, play, and also go crazy within four walls no less than ours. It is pointless to deal with this - you need to be patient, often sincerely talk with your family and not break down to scream, even if you really want to.
Yes, children will need your attention. If you have anyone to ask for help, ask. Arrange with your husband that you will watch the child by the hour. So each of you will be able to save at least four hours when they will not bother you. Make a schedule of important calls and online planning meetings, discuss it with your family and try to arrange so that you are not disturbed at this time.
Speak openly with children. Try to calmly explain the situation to them - remember that children are sensitive to when their parents get crazy. Do not dismiss them, but suggest some alternatives: if mom can work a little now, then she can play a little with you, and while you build a beautiful castle. And most importantly, keep your promises.
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Don't be so sad
The situation of sudden quarantine is stress. Not so much because of the disease itself, but because of the drastic changes. We can swear at traffic overcrowding, traffic jams and the frantic pace of life as much as we like, but as soon as all this was taken from us, even introverts were depressed. Still, socialization, someone less, someone more, is always needed.
As we already advised above, do not stop regularly communicating with colleagues, call up friends and share your emotions from self-isolation, discuss with them the funny memes that you saw today on the network: calm and good mood, as you know, also affect the state of the immune system , and now she must be strong.
Come up with new traditions for family fun, from simple tea drinking to origami. Surround yourself with pleasant little things: unpack the new bed linen that was “waiting in the wings” in the closet, put on incense sticks, turn on your favorite music.
Well, there’s an advice that you could see repeatedly and get tired of it in order (here you would have to figure things out, what a hobby!), But nevertheless: do something that did not have enough time before. Communicate more with your child, read all the books you bought in a fit, take on a foreign language, watch cult films or performances, especially since many online services have opened free access to their services or archives.
