Tips for staying focused and doing your best
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We can all admit that this is a difficult time for everyone. Everything is on lockdown, work and social life are completely changed, we miss a lot of mundane things and everything is complicated. But the world keeps turning and most of us still have to do our work.
Maybe you need help with putting yourself together and doing your work from home. Maybe you are overwhelmed with questions: What if a coworker is sick? Is the office closed indefinitely? When will it all go back to normal? Will my business suffer because of no international travel and the global drop in sales? Will it ever go back to normal?
It is a difficult time, but we can all do our best and try to make it work.
Doing your best with working remotely
If you have to start working remotely all of a sudden, you might have a problem with staying focused on all that is going on in the world right now. Some of you might have issues with working from home with kids, distractions, some just need to go out and change the surroundings.
Here are a few tips on how you can stay focused.
1.Create a dedicated space
Walking around from room to room and from the desk to the couch may seem like a good idea, but it isn’t. There are many distractions home — the dishes aren’t clean, the neighbors are loud, you want a snack, your housemates are talking, someone interrupts to ask if you want something… But 72% of regular home workers recently surveyed said that they have customized their workspace.
Create your own home office — make it a quiet, comfortable space, get a good chair, and try to recreate your regular working space. Keep the space around you clean and tidy, as that will help you to keep your thoughts focused and not get distracted by the clutter. A designated space will put you in the right headspace for working.
2.Stick to the schedule
There isn’t much to do in the after-work hours, and you might tell yourself “Why not get a break, I can do it after the regular office hours”. But this will drag your work, and you won’t be able to get back in focus.
Write a task list, and follow it. You will be more than happy to see all those checkmarks done.
3.Try not to be distracted
Sure, some distractions aren’t in your control. But you can try to stay off of social media, not read the news all the time, as they are fueling the fear and anxiety, and don’t talk on the phone while you work.
It might help to take regular short breaks — make some tea, go out on the balcony, do 10 squats between every 1 hour of work. This will help you shake the anxiety away, not make it bigger.
4.Set up the tech correctly
Many of you have a worse internet connection, or your VPN cuts out, or you work on your personal laptop cause the computer at the office isn’t portable. If you have to, spend the whole workday setting everything up the best you can, or run to the office safely to get what’s essential. It’s better to sacrifice one day to fix this, then to be ineffective and nervous because of IT problems until you get back to the office.
5.Know when it’s time to log off
Working from home makes the lines between personal and office life blurry. You may find yourself working late, waking up later, checking emails in the evenings or having more meetings to stay coordinated with coworkers and wasting your precious time.
So, don’t forget that there is life after you shut down the computer and after your 8 hours of work end, even though it might not seem so at the moment. You need time off and there is still a lot to do home, and we encourage this.
Going to the office in a time of a pandemic
Even though there is a pandemic going on, your company still insists on working from the office. This might be bothersome and you might have a lot of questions, but keep a level head and follow these tips.
1.Avoid public transport or at least equip yourself with everything essential
Biking or walking to the office might be a hassle for some people if they live far away, so they have to use public transport. Try to rearrange your schedule — wake up earlier to find the time to walk or bike.
Be seriously protected if you have to use the public transport — put on gloves, don’t touch your face, use disinfectant gel, keep away as far as possible.
And don’t be afraid to suggest working from home. It really is the smartest idea right now.
2.Advise a coworker to go home if they have any symptoms of sickness
It isn’t time to stick to the social rules. It might be impolite to ask a coworker to go home if they’re coughing, but you would do everyone a favor. It might seem like an awkward conversation or you feel bad to tell on them, but this is a time for leadership and prioritizing.
3.Have a small hygiene PSA
Go through all the rules and advised techniques for prevention with everyone. Don’t hold a meeting with everyone in the conference room — an email or video link for a tutorial will do the trick 😊
4.Get a disinfectant gel in every room
Put gel in every room and cubicle. Get antiseptic soaps. Make sure there are no used tissues on the desks. Order takeout and try not to eat together or cook in the communal kitchen.
5.It’s not impolite to avoid shaking hands now
Yes, it is polite to shake hands and it shows good manners. But if world leaders can do a fist-bump or ‘elbowing’ to avoid hand-to-hand touching, so can you on your next meeting.
