So, I have some friends who are used to working in an office asking me how to cope with working from home now that we’re all shut up in our houses for several weeks. Here is how I’ve learned to do it. I hope it’s helpful for all you who are working from home, and I think it could also be helpful for students who are suddenly learning from home.
1. Set up a work space. Wherever it is, when you are there, you are working. This doesn’t have to be a full-blown home office. This can be as simple as your dining room table. But when you have your gear set up on it, it is a work space.
2. Get up, shower, get dressed, and coffee/tea just like you would any other morning. You might even consider wearing shoes (get an inexpensive pair just for indoors if you don’t like wearing outdoor shoes around the house). This gets you into a different mindset than staying in pajamas or wearing yoga pants all day. “Report” to work by a designated time.
3. Once you get “to the office,” take the first 15 minutes of your morning to plan out and prioritize what specific, measurable things you want to accomplish for the day. Write down your list - it’s a small thing but it makes a big difference.
4. You don’t have to schedule every little thing you do, but you should at least schedule your day into blocks. Work on x until mid-morning, then work on y until lunch. These can be completely different things or components of a larger task.
5. Take a break between blocks. Get up and move! Do something physical, preferably away from a screen. Take a short walk outside, water the plants on your patio, do a set of jumping jacks or push-ups, stretch. Whatever it is, let your eyes take a break from the screen and let your body take a break from being parked in front of the computer. Go somewhere else, then come back to that work space.
6. I like to alternate blocks of work with household chores. For example, I’m going to import and composite audio from a recording project, then move the load of laundry from the washer to the dryer. Then, I’ll pick up toys on the way to the kitchen to grab a cup of tea and then update billing for the month. Just an imaginary example. ;-)
7. Set a timer to end each block. You could just look at a clock, but a timer is more commanding. You are audibly reminding yourself that you wanted to end that block at that time for a reason. You can get away with giving yourself another 5 minutes if you’re close to a stopping point, but then change tasks like your timer said.
8. Find something analog to do. Don’t work on the computer all day then scroll Facebook or watch YouTube videos during your breaks. Get away from the digital and do something analog. If you read #4 and said, “I don’t have plants on my patio,” go plant some! Go clean up the yard. Take a bike ride. Anybody out there a stress baker like me?
9. Go easy on the snacks.
10. When you get frustrated with a task, go somewhere else and do something else. Make it productive so you don’t feel like you’ve wasted time. Unload the dishwasher and give your mind a chance to settle down and process. More likely than not, it will come back better able to work through that task.
I’m sure I’m missing several things, but I think I hit on all the big ones. Don’t expect every day to be the same. Just like at the office, stuff will come up. Even more so at home. If your teenager is having a rough day because she’s nervous about all that’s going on in the world around her, if your ten-year-old is struggling with figuring out his math assignments for e-learning, that’s important. It’s ok to tend to them. Get what you can done. Not every day will be super productive.
Remember that we are doing this to keep each other’s loved ones safer. It won’t last forever. That being said, it is going to be rough, so pray, make wise decisions, and pray some more. You can do this.
