A routine that works for you
Working from home during the coronavirus chaos, has naturally seemed to open up the way for flexible working. Having the kids at home hasn’t been easy at all (thank you furlough!) but it has meant that we’ve adapted to a different way of working.
I make myself available during the day remotely picking up emails and calls on my phone and then when bedtime comes – I tend to work from 8pm-midnight. That is not recommended as I am sure burn out will come along soon, but it’s working for now!
Keep motivated
I can be quite hard to lose motivation when you don’t have colleagues asking where this and that is, or where work may be a little slower than usual. It’s time to pull out the To Do list! Make a bullet list each morning of what you want to get achieved that day and tick off as you go along.
Of course, things will pop up along the way – emails and calls that weren’t planned, but try to keep to a schedule where you can.
If possible, an office [to shut out the chaos & mess outside the door]
If space allows, do make the most of changing a room into an office. We had our now office set up as a spare bedroom, but when we thought about it – we don’t really ever have any guests that sleep over – or if we do, they’re very few and far between. It was just not worth sacrificing space for auntie Barbara that might come and stay over one night in three years.
It’s working well for us now as it means when we’re in the ‘office’ the kids know it’s work time and they don’t come in – and equally when I’m not working, I’m not tempted to just pick up my laptop and have a browse as it’s now stationed at my snazzy desk!
Schedule breaks
When you’re working at home, you miss people popping to the loo or doing the hourly tea round, you miss the avid lunch-goers popping out the office door for their Tesco meal deals at bang on midday – so time can literally run away with you.
It’s important to schedule breaks in to give your body a stretch and your eyes a rest from the screen. Make time to get up and do little bits around the house, and then when the weather allows make sure you get out into the fresh air for a stride too!
