While it’s unfortunate what is going on in the world with COVID-19 and the fact that it takes something bad (like the Coronavirus) to bring out the good I have to say…I love seeing people be more creative with their time and seeing families spend more time together.
Yes, there’s a lot of unknowns in the world right now and things are a little uncomfortable at the moment but let’s focus on the positives and what we are in control of. I thought it would be helpful to share some tips on how one could work from home here in 2020.
Now, if you have been working from home you might dismiss this post but if you have made it this far I would highly encourage you to keep reading – you might find some points you can apply to your work from home routines as well as, add your tips in the comments below. I would love to hear your tips and give you a shout out.
✏️ Writing exercise ✏️
Tell me below whether you are…
1. New to working from home
2. You’ve been working from home for some time now
How to work from home in 2020
1️⃣ For those struggling, reach out for help first and foremost.
Reach out to those within your network (online and offline) even if it’s just to talk about how you’re feeling — it will help take that weight off your shoulders. Lean into your online communities and if you don’t have one yet, check out the Yes to Entrepreneurship Network.
2️⃣ Grab some paper, a pen, and start brainstorming.
Start by writing out how you are feeling. Get those feelings out on paper and circle anything that might stand out (ex. “How am I going to sell X?” Circle that and come back to it later as it might be the main focus for you.). Then start to write out a plan (what are you good at? What are you not so good at? What have you been wanting to do but just haven’t had the time?).
3️⃣ Give yourself time.
It’s normal to want to rush things and to try and figure out everything right now at this moment — the truth is everything takes time. Your goal is not to come up with the perfect solution right now that solves all your problems.
Your goal here is to do the work that is necessary to help you come up with a solution that will help you both now and in the future. Think back to your college or even high school days when we all had to write those term papers – we had to create an outline (the plan), write several drafts (the brainstorming) before we came up with the final paper. On top of that, once we were done, turned in the final paper, we may or may not have used it after the fact right?
4️⃣ Create a space to work & set up a schedule.
For many of you, your home has now become your office only now instead of coworkers you have family members, chores, and pets all depending on you and competing for your attention.
You MUST create a dedicated workspace – desk, dining room table, the edge of the counter, the closet, bathtub (no water of course because that would just be all bad) whatever space you can find as it doesn’t have to be much – so that your brain can say, “.
Once you find your space make sure everyone around you knows that is your spot. Then set up “office hours.” Make sure everyone knows when you’re working and when your breaks are — yes, it’s very important to schedule your breaks.
If it helps, try working in 20-minute sprints (set a timer for 20-minutes, focus on one task, no interruptions).
Have kids at home?
Working from home with kids around can be very challenging which is why I would suggest having them create a schedule as well – make it a fun project for everyone to do! Think of this time as the good old days when we had the “take your kid to work days.”
5️⃣ Get dressed.
I can’t tell you how tempting it can be to either stay in bed all day or just stay in your sweats, feeling all cozy. While there might be days like this you have to get in a routine (goes back to your schedule that you created) and get dressed. There’s something in our brains that just clicks when we do this and tells us, “Ok. It’s time to get to work.”
Plus, having a schedule and getting dressed will help you in the long run as your work from home routine might be temporary right? Some of you might go back to an office or a co-working space so it’s important to create healthy routines now because we are planning for the future.
6️⃣ Limit your social media scrolling and news intake.
How many times have you jumped on social media only for a minute to check that notification and 2-hours later you are still scrolling and haven’t gotten anything done? Yeah, it happens which is why you set limits and stick to your schedule.
The schedule is your lifeline when you work from home. It is the foundation that holds everything together which is why it is one of the first things I work on with my Business Gone Live clients.
7️⃣ Find something to listen to.
It’s important for us to be able to tune into music as well as podcasts. Music can help us stay focused or cut loose on our breaks. Podcasts can help us be surrounded by industry experts and help us sharpen our skills.
✏️ Share your tips below…