Remote working, are you doing all right?
New Zealand moved to COVID-19 Alert Level 3, then Level 4 in 48 hours. After this has been announced yesterday afternoon, hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders are shifting to working, learning and staying connected online. Working from home could be daunting for people who haven't done it before. What you can do to help yourself and your family to cope?
Understand what you need
People have different styles and personalities. When your routine changed and have to do your daily tasks in a different environment, you might not aware of your needs straightaway.
I don't have a home office, so sharing the living room with my families and try to working there is not ideal. To figure out what I need, I asked myself these questions:
Be aware of other people's needs
Figuring out what you need can help you design your workspace at home. Do the same for your family as well. You might have someone retired at home who get used to having the whole house by themselves. You might have young children at home who are trying to figure out how to study remotely with a new schedule. You might have a partner also need to work from home. Ask the same questions for them, help them figure out what they need, and set up an environment that works for them too. Try your best to support each other, set up the boundaries, and be kind.
Use habit tracker to build a new schedule
Most of our habits were built into our daily routine. These are likely to change now that everyone stays at home. We need a new schedule, set up a new work environment, and consciously put effort to make things happen.
To make it easier, I use a habit tracker to help me build a new routine:
Be positive and enjoy your day
It's not easy to stay at home for weeks during the coronavirus pandemic. Don't give up enjoy life, try to bring small joy to yourself, and people around you.
Remote working is challenging. Spend some time to find some techniques to help you adjust, set up the environment, and arrange the family first. Don't just go to the working model straight away. Be kind, be positive, and we will get through this.
Understand what you need
People have different styles and personalities. When your routine changed and have to do your daily tasks in a different environment, you might not aware of your needs straightaway.
I don't have a home office, so sharing the living room with my families and try to working there is not ideal. To figure out what I need, I asked myself these questions:
- Are you introvert or extrovert?
- How much space do you need? Do you prefer an open space or a small room?
- Do you have all the devices? Such as network connections, headphone, extra monitor, pen and paper.
- Do you mind distractions, such as noise, or family member come and have a chat from time to time?
- How often do you go to the kitchen and get a glass of water, or coffee, and have a chat with someone?
- Have you considered your energy level when you arrange your day?
- Do you need someone to talk to, to feel connected, or supported?
Be aware of other people's needs
Figuring out what you need can help you design your workspace at home. Do the same for your family as well. You might have someone retired at home who get used to having the whole house by themselves. You might have young children at home who are trying to figure out how to study remotely with a new schedule. You might have a partner also need to work from home. Ask the same questions for them, help them figure out what they need, and set up an environment that works for them too. Try your best to support each other, set up the boundaries, and be kind.
Use habit tracker to build a new schedule
Most of our habits were built into our daily routine. These are likely to change now that everyone stays at home. We need a new schedule, set up a new work environment, and consciously put effort to make things happen.
To make it easier, I use a habit tracker to help me build a new routine:
- Change your habit tracker by adding time in front of each row, so you can also use it as a daily calendar. In this way, you can arrange your day and tracking if the new schedule works for you or not.
- Schedule the must-do tasks first. Make sure you leave enough time for those activities based on the priorities.
- Put your existing habits to the new schedule. Such as doing exercise, drink more water.
- Adding more details in the schedule about when to do what. Such as getting up in the morning, time to work and off work. So you can eliminate the needs of making extra decisions.
Be positive and enjoy your day
It's not easy to stay at home for weeks during the coronavirus pandemic. Don't give up enjoy life, try to bring small joy to yourself, and people around you.
- Enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning.
- Setup a desk on your back yard to enjoy the sun.
- Have a virtual lunch, coffee catch up, or wine tasting with your friends.
- Organize some group study online.
- Open a slack channel to connect with people who share the same interest.
- Take a photo of your home workspace and share it with your teammates.
Remote working is challenging. Spend some time to find some techniques to help you adjust, set up the environment, and arrange the family first. Don't just go to the working model straight away. Be kind, be positive, and we will get through this.
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