By Leanne Powell
With the coronavirus causing havoc around the country and the rest of the world, most of us are being asked to work from the safety of our homes to prevent its spread.
But how do you stay productive whilst working at home in your pjs, instead of putting your feet up on the sofa and turning on Netflix?
1. Get yourself a working space
You get up early Monday to Friday and usually all you want to do is stay in bed. Well, now you have the opportunity to live the dream! Our advice is: don’t! Use this time to get up and get ready like you would normally. Working in bed could easily make you lose motivation, so make a home office from your kitchen table or desk to make you feel like you’re still in work mode. That’ll also make it harder to slack on your workload.
2. Have regular breaks
There’s nothing worse than sitting in front of a computer for hours with tired eyes. At work we only get one lunch break, but the perks of being at home are that you can have a bit of down time whenever you want. Set yourself some ‘me time’ but also have short 5-minute breaks every hour or so. Step out of your work zone and take a breather.
3. Set yourself time limits
Just because you’re at home doesn’t mean you don’t need to lay down some boundaries for yourself. Not needing to do your daily commute means you have extra time in the day, so don’t try and push yourself to do more work by working before or over your normal working hours to get things done. Stop working at your usual time, shut off and have the rest of the evening to yourself.
4. Keep the kids occupied
With the country slowly going into lockdown, that means schools will close too. Does this mean no childcare for you? Well, get your kids to work alongside you by getting them to do their own school work, set them a time limit and give them a treat if they complete it. Or keep them active with board games, colouring books or get them to draw you a picture.
Kirsty Hart, ASDA shop floor worker and mum of one said: “I know this is going to affect me, like it will everyone. For now, I am still working and my daughter is at school but once everything is on lockdown things will get a little harder.
“I have prepared myself for what’s to come and brought loads of games, stuff to bake with, painting kits and found some educational things on YouTube for us to watch.”
5. Plan ahead
The supermarket shelves are empty but there are always things you can rustle up from your cupboard or fridge, from soup, to chicken wraps to baking brownies for afters. If you’re staying at home be prepared when it comes to planning your day ahead, it’s easy to slip into unhealthy eating habits if you’re at home. So, create a meal prep for breakfast, lunch and dinner so you know what you’re having throughout the day. It also saves you from cooking after a long day of working from home.
6. Use the right technology
Make sure you have access to the right technology before you leave the office for a while. Not everyone has access to a computer, shared files and some software. So, remember to flag this up with your boss for #quarantinelife.
7. Regularly check in with managers
In the office it’s normal to have regular access to your managers or seniors. Maintain contact by phone, email or even facetime and keep them up to date with how you’re getting on with your work. It’s easy to become complacent if you know you’re not having anyone check up on you or how you’re doing. But knowing you’ve got someone to check your workload also makes you more motivated to get it done.
Although working in the office makes working from home a little bit easier, day-to-day retail trading is at an all-time low. Chris Williamson, Manager at Sole Trader said: “They are in talks to close the store, as they closed many retail shops in China, Spain and Italy. England are close behind; we are discussing what this would mean for us, in terms of pay and working outside of work. The Sales Assistants should be fine but Managers and senior staff may still have to do a little bit of work on the side-lines. So, now it’s a waiting game.”
8. Self-isolation – eat well, exercise, sleep
Don’t stick to your normal routine so you don’t get bored of working indoors; when self-isolating give yourself that self-love. Make sure you eat well, avoid junk food and eat fruit and vegetables and Vitamin c to stay healthy. Do at least 30 minutes of exercises indoors a day and try to get 8-12 hours of sleep per night.
Even get into that book you’ve always wanted to read, bake your favourite cake or put on that face mask. Emily O’Neill, nursery nurse, said: “I think self-isolation is a good time to do the things you never usually get to do. Especially working with children sometimes I need that rest when I get home.”
9. Savvy apps to use
There are loads of useful apps available on iPhone and Android to download whilst you’re indoors. Feeling restless? Download Headspace, an app that creates mindfulness. It allows you to stress less, sleep better and stay happy. Choose from hundreds of guides to meditate your way through the day and manage stress, productivity and there’s even a guide on how to cope with restlessness.
Rebecca Herittage, manager of a furniture store said: “I use headspace to keep me calm and less stressed; being a manager and having a crazy workload it really helps and you can literally do it anywhere. I think in times like these it would be really helpful, it gets you back to where you need to be.”
Some other useful apps include Microsoft teams for software use and Google Classroom, making it easier to take the classroom outside of school and also useful for communication and organisation. Zoom cloud meetings are also great for those remote video calls, and 8fit workout and meal planner for you to be able to get your training in and plan for your meals in advance.
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