A Guide to Working From Home During The Coronavirus Outbreak
Managing work-life balance when you’re working from home may be harder than you thought it would be.
It’s official! The coronavirus has officially reached ‘pandemic’ status, but what does it mean for businesses?
Some global companies have rolled out mandatory remote work policies, and many more are discussing it. It’s safe to say that the shift to “home office” will be the new normal for many of us, at least for a while. “How long,” you ask…
Well, it’s hard to say for sure, experts say. (This is me dodging the necessary research, yep aforementioned expert is me) And Laura, if that’s your real name, that haircut suits you. (At this point, I’m almost 100% sure her real name is either Karen or Susan). For all the Karens trying to speak to the manager, I managed to find some useful information:
Now that Karens are gone, we can carry on…
Memes have served us well this year. They provided the much needed comic relief, breaking the tension. On the contrary, this is really happening, it’s no joke. So if we want to survive 2020, not in a “…or the human race will go extinct” kind of way, we need to try our best to adapt to life under quarantine, making adjustments for achieving work-life balance at home.
I know it’s hard being away from your parents. It’s hard trying to keep your job, working from home for the first time, especially since things are f*cked up and that makes you feel blue. I don’t know who needs to hear this, but you’re really lucky to be able to work remotely. Some companies are still playing dumb, not even trying to hide the fact that they care less about their employees than money. Also not every work can be done remotely, so lots of people are getting fired. And the medical staff have to keep going to work, as one might expect…
So I’m hoping to help you figure out how to stay sane, focused and productive in this new work environment. I should know because I learned from the best-procrastinator-ever. 💁
Before self-quarantine, my morning routine looked like this:
(8 am) Waking up
(8.00–8.10) Looking out the window looking like I’m thinking deeply, but really I’m just sleeping standing up trying to get an idea of what’s the weather like…
(8.10–8.40) Taking a shower and getting dressed
(8.40) Taking vitamins with lemon water because I don’t feel like eating something in the morning and it makes me feel like a fit person taking good care of my body…
(8.40–8.50) Getting my makeup done
(8.50–9.00) Packing my stuff and trying to get out without forgetting something at home
(9 am) Saying “Good Morning” to the door lady -that’s the only form of communnication I get until about 10 so I savor that moment, also I think it helps us both start the day in a good mood…
(9–9.10) Walking to the metro station, listening to Spotify and dancing when no one is in the same street as me…But sometimes they’re walking behind a car and I don’t see them at first, and it gets really awkward when I see that they saw, but thank god I have my headphones on and I’m in a different universe right now so it doesn’t matter…
(9.10–9.20) Riding the metro
(9.20–9.25) Walking to the office
(9.25–9.30) Preparing coffee
(9.30–10 am) Checking my e-mails while waiting for everyone else to show up, in case I need to catch up with something
In the first few days of self- quarantine, my routine turned into this:
Waking up at 8 am
Snoozing the alarm at least 7 times because “I still would not have arrived at work”
Washing my face to achieve minimal personal hygiene, also because feeling the cold water on my face helps me wake up in no time
Making coffee and decluttering my working space-a.k.a the extension in front of my bed
Switching to bed because I don’t own a proper chair and my bar stool is uncomfortable
Checking my inbox to confirm I don’t have any urgent e-mails and that I can sleep a little bit more
Waking up (again) at 12-ish
It’s time for cooking, I’m hungry (not really)
Cooking something that has maximum 15 minutes preparation time
Netflix-ing while eating
Binge watching until I receive a call/e-mail from a colleague
Working for 2–3 hours with the thrill of the not-so-divine intervention, it keeps me focused for some time, but not for long
I’m hungry again,or maybe just bored. Anyways, it’s dinner time! (I’ve convinced myself that I should eat early because I do not want to gain weight and also that the desserts I have after do not count.)
Watching Netflix/Youtube while eating
When the clock stroke 6.30, it’d finally hit me that I got (almost) nothing done. So I’d convince myself that “I’ll get the job done tonight”. And I wouldn’t. So “I’ll get up early in the morning to put it together” I’d say. And I wouldn’t.
Just like this, the cycle would begin. And the more days I did this, the more work piled up logarithmically, making each day more stressful.
This is how I failed in quarantine week one.
I got new rules, I count ‘em:
- Put away your phone. It’s okay to check the news first thing in the morning. This will save you time from worrying about what’s happening outside your home all day. After that, lock it up somewhere, bury it, forget it ever existed.
- Dress the part. Take a shower and get dressed. Don’t just throw on something. Pick an outfit. No need to wear uncomfortable skinny jeans, but make sure it’s not pajamas. You won’t need to put on a full face of makeup, but at least moisturize or shave. You’ll feel put together.
- No social media in the workspace. Don’t be sneaky! Log out from your laptop, too. If you’re desperate for some Instagram action, do that when you have to go to the toilet.
- Create a distinct workspace to trick your brain into thinking you’re entering the office. Make sure the workspace is facing the window and not your bed so that you can separate your chilling time from your working time. Try to make an office out of your “working space”. Invest in a mouse or other office supplies.
- Create boundaries within your home. This point is crucial for people who live with family members or friends. Tell them when you can’t be interrupted. Make sure they know you are working.
- Don’t isolate yourself. Not having your boss around means you need to find inner motivation! But also reach out to your coworkers to avoid feelings of isolation, which can lead to depression. Ask something when you need to. Don’t think “This Zoom could have been an email”. Arrange daily meetings. Have web WhatsApp open. Text them about work. Text them about stuff unrelated to work. When you think of something funny, just act like you are going near their desk to tell a joke. Keep the spirits up.
- Abide by the Parkinson’s Law. According to Parkinson, work expands to fill the time available for its completion. So, don’t clear your schedule to make more time for work. If you clear your schedule, it just means you have more time to waste doing other stuff! Instead, see point 8.
- Keep a bullet journal, or two. Write down your tasks, and track your time. Do some non-work related things, too. Make social plans and have breaks. Mix it up! When you feel like you’re not as productive, just switch tasks. Tidy up your room. Cross that off the list. You’d be surprised how satisfying it is to cross off a simple task. Write everything down. It clears your mind off things you have to do so you have one less thing to worry about.
- Mark a clear end of your day so you don’t end up working 24/7, or feeling like you’re working 24 hours a day even though you’re not getting any work done and then you’re stressed because you’re not getting any work done…
- Last but not least, don’t neglect yourself, or your mental health. This whole thing might take a while. So do the stuff you wouldn’t be able to do at the office. Start the day with yoga. Apply face masks between meetings. Read a chapter from your bedside book. Listen to a podcast. Sunbathe on your balcony. Take an online class on that topic you’ve always been curious about. Cook. Try new recipes on your lunch break. Take a nice long bath at the end of the day. I don’ know… Treat yourself. Make the most of your time, but make it work for you. That’s the most important thing.
