As of today, my office put out a ‘work from home’ policy to reduce the spread of Coronavirus. As someone who has extensive experience working remotely, I wanted to share some of my tips for how to stay busy during social distancing.
In a time where everything seems unclear and we are taking it one day at a time due to Coronavirus, I wanted to share some positivity to your social feed.
For over 1.5 years, I worked remotely as an Influencer Campaign Manager, and to be honest, it was a great time. I really enjoyed making my own schedule, adjusting to solo working, and of course – spending all day with Mochi.
While I am not able to break up my day with SoulCycle or run errands when the grocery store is empty during this time, I am able to fall into familiar habits to make sure I stay positive throughout the day.
How to stay busy during social distancing
Set a Routine
Set an alarm and get ready for the day. Just like you would set an alarm and get ready for work, do the same while working from home.
I know it’s very tempting to sleep in, work from your bed, or stay in your PJs all day, but it will not serve you in the long run in regards to feeling productive.
For a while, I would immediately get up, walk to my desk and start working. Then I would look at the clock and it would be noon and I was still not showered or even presentable for a video call. I would then have to rush around and get ready!
Now, I make sure that I am still setting my alarm, showering, and looking presentable if I have to make a video call or whatever the day brings me. Don’t worry – I still wear sweats while working from home but it’s a no PJs rule.
Break up the day
Before social distancing, I would break up my workday by scheduling a noon SoulCycle class or making a Trader Joe’s run when the store would be empty in the afternoon.
Now, I break up my day by putting a block on my calendar at lunch to work out either in my home or going for a run.
The calendar block allows my co-workers to know that I am not available for meetings and it reminds me to take an hour for myself. Stay tuned for my recommended at-home workout posts this week!
Have a workspace
In my last company, when I was moved to a remote status with my team, the first thing I did was make an office out of my second bedroom. It was helpful to have a dedicated and distraction-free place to work because it signaled to my brain, it was time for work.
Even if you don’t have a desk in your home, you can still make a dedicated workspace. Either making your dining table into your desk, cornering off a place on your kitchen counter, or pulling a mini table up to your sofa.
My suggestion is to make it simple, clutter-free, and large enough to spread out with your work.
Check-In with your coworkers
My last tip to stay busy while working from home is to check in with your coworkers. Staying connected through Slack, setting up group video calls to stay synced with projects, and of course, sending funny memes always help.
In our office, we have a standing morning meeting, we are connected through Slack and constantly keep the team notified if we are going to be offline for anything – child care, appointments, sick time, etc.
If you are working from home this month, my suggestion is to bring positivity into your mind and enjoy the break. Personally, I feel like I get a lot of work done at home and love the distraction-free environment.
Got a WFH tip you want to share? Leave them in the comments for everyone to see!
