With Much of the World Working From Home Indefinitely, Are You Doing it the Right Way?

It’s a strange time we’re living in right now. A global pandemic has brought the entire world to an unexpectedly sluggish pace. With more worrying updates every day, if not every hour, much of the world is practicing their best socially distancing skills and are under self-quarantine; even with some celebrity inspiration.

Schools and universities across the world are shut, exams are postponed, and while some have switched to online courses and study material, others like MIT have also established a COVID-19 team through MIT Emergency Management to support research and communication of the virus through the campus. And UC Berkeley has made a blog post about what history can teach us about disease-driven economic panic.

Companies in Kuwait quickly switched to digital and online processes as well as retinal scans instead of biometric attendance systems. Many are educating their employees on hygiene practices during this time, whether at work or at home. And almost all institutions are asking people not to panic, but at the same time to be cautious and vigilant. Repetitive messages to wash your hands with soap and water for the duration of 20 seconds or 2 whole ‘happy birthday’ songs, to sanitize frequently, to not touch your face, and to take measures if you suspect you might be ill, are everywhere.

So are viral videos of songs about how to stay safe during this time. And other videos of communities in Italy singing from their balconies to keep each other company. While it does pull at the heartstrings, what they have right is that this pandemic affects everyone and we all have to cooperate to fight it.

While many people’s work and companies have come to a grinding halt, many have the benefit of being able to work from home. And as challenging as it is to turn your world up-side-down and stay indoors, it is of utmost importance that you do. Considering there is yet to be a clear idea of how long this social distancing and self quarantine will go on, here are ways to make sure you are making the most of your work-from-home arrangement, and still being safe.

Ways to make the most of your work from home arrangement?

Stick to your schedule

When you’re accustomed to a daily schedule, it’s hard to do almost everything you do on a regular day, but do it from your home. So, for the most part, it is important to stick to your daily schedule. Which means, primarily do not sleep in. As tempting as it might be. Wake up at the same time, and go about your usual schedule. Try and change out of the clothes you woke up in to feel a little more motivated. Take breaks as you would during a regular work day at the office. Keep a start and end time for your work. Make a schedule and stick to it. That’s how you can make the working from home arrangement work for you.

Make a workspace

While working from home on a daily basis, it’s easy for work to blend into checking the news, to reading articles, scrolling through social media and such, until you have been distracted enough that there’s no going back to work. So, make a separate space to work, even if it’s just a spot on your dining table or a corner with a small table and chair. Keep your laptop, your work notebook, a pen, and whatever else you need for work, just like you would at the office. It will allow you to focus and get work done.

Stay connected

For a company that doesn’t usually work from home, this social distancing can be a testing situation. So be available and check in on your colleagues, whether to monitor and manage, to collaborate with, or to report to, regularly with updates and work so that everyone is in the loop, just like you would be at the office. Communication is key here and while there are many apps to keep the team updated on work, it’s also good to add some personal interaction via video calls or even regular phone calls. It’s also good to be more proactive than you usually would to keep all miscommunication and doubts out of the way.

Exercise

With gyms, pools, and all community spaces shut for the month, it’s an easy excuse to not exercise. But with little to no movement inside your home, this can quickly spell badly for your body and mind. So, stick to that schedule, put on your workout clothes, do some spot jogging, stretches, yoga, squats, or whatever it is you enjoy doing at the gym. This will help you keep fit so that your energy levels stay up and you’re able to deal with these trying times. This will also help to keep your mental health in check so that the social distancing doesn’t turn into social isolation.

Curb wrong information

As is in all situations of grave importance, a volley of forwarded information will fill your phones. Whether ways to cure it or prevent it, information like this that is not verified only makes matter worse. People who might believe it will in turn not take the necessary precautions and instead follow the unwarranted advice shared. So don’t believe unverified information and refrain from sharing it with others as well. Refer only to the instruction and advice of institutions like the World Health Organization (WHO) or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). If anyone knows how to beat a pandemic, it’s them.

Be productive

Working from home, for many people, means you probably have 2 extra hours since you don’t have to travel. Use that time well so that your mind is engaged. Whether this means organizing activities to keep your children occupied, reading a book, cooking, watching a movie with the family, spring cleaning, or anything else you haven’t done in a long while since you haven’t had the time. Doing those things will help keep your mind active and allow you to keep negative feelings of frustration and uncertainty at bay.

Even while many companies have resorted to compulsory work-from-home situations, it’s an impossible idea for healthcare workers. At times like these they are working overtime. So staying home and socially distancing themselves is something that will help them do their job better. This only means we can all go back to normal sooner and the COVID-19 pandemic will become a thing of the past.

FAQs

Q. What is the importance of sticking to a schedule?

A. Since you’re accustomed to a daily schedule, it’s hard to get used to a whole new daily schedule. So it is important to stick to your daily schedule. Which means, do not sleep in and wake up at the same time you always do.

Q. What is the best way to curb wrong information?

A. Refer only to the instruction and advice of institutions like the World Health Organization (WHO) or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).