How To Maximise Productivity, And Stay Sane, While Working At Home

April 20, 2020 4 min read

How To Maximise Productivity, And Stay Sane, While Working At Home

Working from home sounds all lovely, but the reality is, it can be unsettling and very stressful. We asked three experts in their field, their top tips for working from home during the Covid-19 outbreak...


Business, not as usual

We asked Tory Archbold, founder of Powerful Steps her work from home survival strategies: 

Establish a routine: Wake up with the right mindset as it will set you up for success. Get out of bed at the same time you would if you were going to your workplace. Establishing a basic routine can give you the structure you need to easily transition from house mode to work mode. Take a walk outside the front door, check the mail and then come in through the back. Make yourself a coffee, sit down at your desk and let the day begin. I also like to start this each morning with 3 lavender drops in the shower, this is a wonderful way to calm your mind so you become really clear on what you want to achieve for the day ahead.

Create boundaries: Create a working environment at home you LOVE. If you don’t have a home office, use the kitchen bench or a corner of the dining table; and, preferably a space that has a door, or even a curtain, which allows you to close it off at the end of the day. Ensure it is a clean, working space filled with things you love. I also like to alternate between an indoor and outdoor working space to mix it up. Designate set office hours to differentiate from work and home chores. 

Use technology to your advantage to stay connected: If you used to check in every day with someone, or if your morning involved a group meeting, you can replicate those gatherings over video. You can ask questions or collaborate over Zoom, Skype or Facetime. Even if you have them on mute, being in touch via video can create a familiar environment that can help keep you on task—especially if you’re finding it hard to stay focused. These are the little rituals that will help anchor us in a community. 

Take regular breaks: Walk the dog and enjoy the fresh air. Do a 30-minute workout or yoga session - there are so many great apps on offer to break up your day and keep your body moving. Turn off technology at 8.30 pm. Connect with your family, cherish a good night’s sleep and wake up refreshed.

Be realistic: Working from home will not always go to plan and some simple tasks may become more involved than they normally would. Adjust your expectations, be kind to yourself, and remember that a lot of folks are facing similar challenges. Don't be too hard on yourself. 

Homeschooling Help

Teacher educator and former classroom teacher and homeschooling mum, Dr Nikki Brunker shares her tips to keep your kids engaged and learning while they are at home during the Coronavirus outbreak.

Don’t worry about the mess, you won’t be having visitors and if you’re having virtual meetings, the mess can be hidden (same with the noise – use headphones).

Create time-fillers: time for them to be busy so you can work undisturbed will be essential. And you may have to accept that your kids will have more screentime than usual.

Ignore the claim that kids are ‘missing months of learning’. They might miss some face to face teaching, but they will continue learning every moment.

Find ways to keep kids connected with friends and extended family. Set the kids up on use Zoom to show what they’ve cooked, coloured-in or build with their Lego.

Be realistic with expectations. One or two things a day might be enough for your child, others might need lots more. Setting unrealistic expectation is only going to raise everyone’s stress levels.

 

Your relationship in lockdown

Couples Therapist, Isiah McWinnie shares her expert tips on how to not only survive lockdown but thrive.

Get space where you can: Your time apart is going to be pretty limited, so try to get space where you can. Structure time togetherand time apart. Work from different rooms or with headphones on if you find each other distracting.

Share household responsibilities: Research on happy relationships shows that couples who share household chores have higher relationship satisfaction than those who don’t. That’s more important than ever.

Discuss your finances together: Financial stress causes many household arguments. Ensure that you’re managing finances together as a team. Talk about your financial goals together, revise your expenditure and regularly discuss the state of your finances. 

Be mindful in your communication: Lockdown is like being in a pressure cooker. You’re both a little on edge and have more chance of pushing each other’s buttons. Be mindful of how you’re raising difficult topics and choose your words wisely and try not to take a partner’s comments personally.  

Focus on intimacy: There’s a good chance that with increased stress and increased time together your sex life will take a nosedive. That’s perfectly understandable at a time like this.  Instead of putting pressure on yourselves to reignite it right now, aim to build your connection, intimacy and teamwork instead. 

 

We'd love to hear from you...

How are you going working from home? What strategies do you have in place? We'd love you to leave a comment to share any tips you may have with our She Lion community - and we'd love to share them with our community, so please add your instagram handle ...



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