Covid-19 WFH Todos
Things to keep in mind as we all start working from home
The police are patrolling the streets making sure that the people are not congregating in large groups in public places. People are hoarding supplies in bio suits, stock markets are crashing and you feel this general sense of fear with everyone you talk to. If you think this is a scene from some horror movie, well, think again, because this is the situation in March 2019 with the outbreak of pandemic COVID-19, popularly known as Coronavirus. With more than 100,000 people affected worldwide, this is one of those rare once in a century pathogen as Bill Gates described it.
But Homo Sapiens are industrious if nothing else, and companies are being more proactive than some of the governments. A large number of companies have given the directive to their employees to work from home. This is welcome news amongst the backdrop I painted for you earlier. Your first reaction might be a celebratory one, YAHOOOO, yesssss, and then you suddenly realize that it is not a vacation for two weeks, you still have to work.
I’ve been working from home and I found that following these easy to do rules made me more productive.
Stick to your schedule
It is very easy to stay up until late and wake up late. Since you’re at home, you can lose track of time and not even realize that. You should set your alarms and continue to follow your schedule as if you’re going to work. If you like waking up at 6 am, then continue waking up at 6. You can get one of those Pomodoro instruments to set focused work intervals.
Dedicated Work-space
This can be hard to do when you live with a roommate but having a dedicated space is a game-changer if you’re going to be working from home. I’ve talked with people who don’t have a desk or a table and chair at home and they have confided in me that working from the bed is not really productive. Definitely something you don’t want when working from home for the foreseeable future. You can go the extra mile and even buy some decorations for your space to make it look more ‘official’.
Video Meetings
Pro tip:- Always start a video call with the camera off and the audio muted. This will decrease the chance of having an embarrassing moment in front of your co-workers to almost zero. I have been in video meetings where a male colleague didn’t have a shirt on, where a co-worker’s roommate decided that the time to exercise was right during the meeting so we could all see his amazing workout routine and a time when a coworker was watching TV when it wasn’t their turn to speak but forgot to mute themselves — and these are only the ones I can remember. But you get the idea, pay close attention to your video and audio settings and save yourself some embarrassing moments.
Blocking time for real work
Texting apps can be a big distraction in a regular work environment but when every communication is happening over them, they can be a nuisance. I found myself checking my slack account every time I saw the unread notification because I wanted to unblock others ASAP.
But your standup update can’t be ‘Checked every slack message instantaneously’. To get real work done, block time on your calendar. Use the Pomodoro I mentioned earlier to get a focused time interval. You can change your messaging app status to reflect that your response time will be higher or even post in the group chat that you’ll get to messages in a couple of hours or whatever time interval works best for you.
Take breaks, hydrate
Sitting at home can be lonely if you live by yourself. It’s important to take breaks and try to get out of the house, even if it’s for a five minute stroll. Call someone you’re close with to break the monotony. Not to sound like a broken record, but hydrate regularly!!
These are strange times we’re living in. The only thing I can say is not to panic. Be cautious but don’t get swept by the frenzy. And yes, please keep washing your hands. 🤙
