A lot of Canadians have been sent home, due to the coronavirus outbreak. Some, fortunately, have been allowed to keep their employment and bi-weekly paychecks coming in by working from home.
For some workers, they might feel lost, uninterested, and/or see a lack of productivity being at home. In this era of coronavirus work-from-home, here are a few tips to remember. By staying home, you can continue working while helping to reduce the spread of COVID-19 – a key recommendation from our government.
Do Your Best
We all have different home situations. Some are looking after kids. Others could be caring for family members. Whatever you’re dealing with, all you can do is your best. Stay relaxed if your performance isn’t producing the same numbers, if you’re not as productive, or if things overall aren’t as efficient as what they used to be.
Have A Dedicated Work Area
Have a work-from-home area where you can concentrate. Set up a room with an ergonomic desk, home office accessories, and anything else you need to stay on task. Remove any temptations or distractions. Keep it tidy.
Plan Ahead
Every day, know what you’re trying to achieve. Have a task list, separated by the hour. Use this plan to prevent yourself from getting off-track. Frequent switching between tasks or multi-tasking’s a massive productivity killer.
Organized And Focus
From the moment you sit down, you shouldn’t have a reason to get up and distract yourself. Smartphone, pen, paper, a charger for your smartphone, etc. Have everything there with you. Organize a routine or set an expectation for emergencies, what happens if the doorbell rings or you receive a phone call, and who takes care of the kids. Investing in some over-the-ear noise-cancelling headphones block out sound – another helpful buy.
Have Your Tech Ready
Ensure your Internet’s connected. Find a way to keep in touch with other team members. Messaging options include Skype, Google Hangouts, or Slack. You also have project management apps that could be more conducive to tracking projects, like Asana, Trello, and others.
Clock-In/Clock-Out
The biggest challenge for a lot of work-from-home jobs are the distractions. Minimize them. If you’re working at the computer, time yourself. Clock in. Clock out. Use this to keep yourself motivated and productive. As long as you’re on the clock, you shouldn’t be texting, on your Facebook, smartphone, or Googling anything.
Don’t let coronavirus keep you from earning a paycheck. If you can work from home, do so. Growing accustomed to it, you will find it has a lot of unique benefits over going into the office. Stay safe through this uncertain period.