Two key focuses of my blog are Career Discussions and Current Events. The Coronavirus/Covid-19 Pandemic has at least temporarily changed workplace conditions around the world. While working at home sounds like a win-win, there are some caveats to it, especially if you aren’t used to it. The following guest post is entitled, Community Quarantine: Working from Home During These Times.
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Now that the country is under quarantine, with Luzon on enhanced community quarantine, working from home is now being implemented by the government and most companies in the private business sector.
Under the threat of the COVID-19 disease, the Philippine government is encouraging private companies to make adjustments to its processes and put in place a work-from-home structure. If you’re new to this scenario, here are a few tips to help you make the most of your time at home:
5 Ways to Be Productive as You Work from Home
1. Treat it as you would any normal workday at the office.
Simply because you’re working from home now doesn’t mean you need to make major adjustments in life. You still need to go about it as you would any normal day at the workplace.
Wake up early. Take a bath. Prepare your work station. Clock in at a certain time to start your workday. Focus on the day’s tasks and deliverables.
It will still pretty much be the same thing you do at work. The only difference is you’re getting all your work done from home. Establish a routine to maintain or even enhance your productivity.
2. Prioritize.
Take a look at your day-to-day tasks and prioritize them according to importance or degree of difficulty. If you are uncertain which ones are needed the most at the end of the day, give your supervisor or boss a call. Sure, you don’t have access to your PBX business phone systems but a text message or an email should do the trick. Knowing which tasks are priority helps determine how your day will go.
3. Organize your schedule and try to stick to it.
Once you have already identified which deliverables are urgent and which ones can wait, plot down your schedule according to these tasks.
Writing down your daily or weekly schedule helps establish the rhythm that you need to keep you on track. Working from home can give you plenty of distractions. You need something tangible to help keep you from getting off-course and keep you goal-oriented throughout the day and week.
4. Take breaks.
One of the things some people tend to take for granted is taking breaks. Breaks are essential to a person’s productivity. These help you recharge and refocus after lengthy periods. Taking a break is not exactly a luxury, but it is a necessity for any worker.
When you take breaks, it is recommended to step away from your workstation. Stand up, stretch a bit, walk around to get the blood flowing in your system, and enjoy a cup of coffee or a sandwich. Do whatever normal people would do at the office when on break.
5. Stop at the end of the day.
Like any other workday, you should stop at a certain time. One of the downsides of working from home is some people can no longer differentiate time for work and time away from it.
Clock out at the end of your day. Once you have already completed your eight hours, step away from your work station and move on to the finer things in life like spending time with your family or taking your well-deserved rest.
Working from home is a privilege. Do not take it for granted. Work when you need to work, stop when you should stop. Learn how to properly balance work and life. Learning how to manage that will make you more productive in the end.
