How do you successfully combine work and home, when social life is close to nil?
In these critical times, self- education and proactivity come in handy. Informing ourselves from trustworthy sources and staying focused in the present moment will help with coping with the current crisis.
Moreover, it is important to understand the power of this temporary social distancing and the great perks it will have for the future. Keeping the situation under control is ultimately the goal of ending this pandemic.
However, here we are, faced with a total shift from our usual schedule. How do we mobilise ourselves to get acquainted with this situation while keeping our minds organised and focused?
Let’s look at the bright side of the home office first:
The flexibility of your work is in your hands. You can choose when to take a break, for how long etc. It also helps you become more proactive and organised. Therefore, it is also a training for you as a person and your development as a business individual.
It is true that working from home requires more organisation and planning than working from the well-known offices. However, if the planning of the tasks is done correctly, it will be easier than you would imagine.
Here are our steps to ensure an organised workday:
1. Plan wisely
Start your day by writing down all the tasks that need to be done. You can make a plan for a week as well, but make sure to revise every day and to set strategic goals for yourself for that particular day.
As you have written down what your tasks are, try to think if you would need someone’s help/assistance from the organization on that particular day. If you do, make sure to contact them in the morning, so they can also shape their schedule and take into consideration your needs. Of course, if more formal meetings need to be planned, inform attendees at least some days prior to the actual event.
2. Find a channel for communication
We advise to choose an app where you can create specific teams that correspond to different departments in your organization. This way, the colleagues which work in the same department can keep a clean communication and easy access to one another. We also have a solution for that. Curious?
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3. Organise (bi-)weekly meetings
Similar to a SCRUM meeting, gather all employees (or per department) and set out a progress overview of the tasks. We follow this template:
- What has been done until now?
- What is currently in process?
- What are next things that should be performed?
Once a clear task overview has been set, the team members know what to focus on during the day. However it is important that we mention that these steps are not meant for checking the employees but rather for keeping an open and coherent flow of communication between departments.
4. Remember to take breaks
We would like to propose you to use the Pomodoro technique which is composed of 5 steps. Step one is to identify the task that needs to be done; step two is just set a timer for 25 minutes. Step three is to work on the task without interruptions until the timer rings. After the timer rings take a five-minute break to oxygenise your brain.
Complete these 5 Steps and then take a longer break for about 15 to 30 minutes and then start again.
This technique may help with your focus especially if you’re not used to working at home where there might be multiple distractions. However if this does not work for you, you can choose another type of exercise to do in order to keep you focused and keep the distractions away.
In hard times like these where things shift drastically from one minute to another (and without knowing what to expect) it is important to remember to have faith and hope and understand the situation as rationally as we can. A proactive attitude and an active mindset may help in any situation.
The 3Fiftynine team is doing their best in order to help you with the situation as well and would like to send out these tips to you and maybe help you overcome such a difficult situation.
Do not hesitate to contact us if you would need help with your contact center or with consultancy. We are here for you.