How to work from home before, during and after the Coronavirus

I'm pretty sure, by now, you have heard of the COVID-19, if not, well... you're probably confused why you haven't been able to wipe your rear!

Anyway, more seriously, during this pandemic time, we are seeing that most people are falling under two influences: those of the media and those who have pushed the panic button (i.e. toilet paper hoarding). With this being said, now that we have come to the stage of self-isolation, many organisations are having to transition to a remote module that won't go wasted post-pandemic.

If you have lost your job, I am truly sorry for the news, however, you can also think of this as an opportunity to start working on that business you have always dreamed of having - there's a silver lining to most things.

Many people will be surprised by the challenge it may pose. So it is important we create some guidelines towards the way we handle ourselves for our own sanity and purpose as working from home can be difficult.

Here, I am going to share with you some tips you can use to work from home efficiently with an increase in productivity rather than stress.

Designate a workspace

Why is this important? I hear you ask. You and I both know how many distractions surround us, including your wife, your husband, your kids, your housemates, your own thoughts of temptation, etc... You get it.

I'll elaborate on how to handle them in a minute, but first, you need to decide where your "special place" is going to be, a zone where you won't be disturbed within an imaginary perimeter where your thoughts and actions can be concentrated towards your tasks at hand.

"I can do it from my laptop on my sofa", I hear you say. Don't pretend you can multi-task - you can't. Remember that time you were chatting to a friend and spilled a drink on your white top?

Glad we're in agreement.

So make sure your TV is off, you're away from the co-living space. Find a table and set it up as if it was your office with only the essentials for the day. Sit at it with your back to any distractions and music plugged in to keep you going.

Set a time to work

Now that you know where you'll work, you'll want to know when you'll work.

Again, a reason why we tend to be more productive at the office is because when we enter our workplace we are in work mode and switch off only after we have exited the building.

At home, you'll need to decide what your "do not disturb" hours are and express them to your friends and family. By having these hours set, it'll help you hold yourself accountable and avoid spending a minute here and there doing other things around the house which adds up by the end of the day.

" When it is time to work, work. When it is not time to work, do not work. "

In the past, I'd catch myself walking around the house, eating food, drinking more coffee than necessary, etc... Once I put times into place, it ultimately helped me find my flow and stay present with my work.

Having a structure to your day is not only important for work but also for your sanity. If you're spending the whole day working freely when you feel like it, your on and off switch risk merging together ultimately making you feel like you're never getting any downtime.

Knowing when to work and when not to work will ensure you stay focused on what is important at the given time. 

Plan the night before

Every day, as humans we make hundreds of decisions. Some are important, most - not. Psychologists suggest that humans are limited to a finite number of accurate decisions each day. They call it decision fatigue. It’s for this reason Mark Zuckerberg wears the same thing every day. He has so many decisions to make each day, he wants to have one fewer to save his mental energy for building Facebook.

I'm not saying to wear that t-shirt with the coffee stain on again and again, but more so, to reduce the amount of decisions you require to make.

Taking just 5 to 10 minutes before heading to bed each night to decide what you'll work on the following day will make a drastic improvement to your motivation and will set your day up nicely!

Apply The Pareto Principle

Also known as the 80/20 rule, it suggests that 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. Put simply: doing 2 out of 10 items on a general to-do list will be worth more than the other 8 put together.

Let the music play

If you're not enjoying the current project you're working on, it can help to listen to the music you enjoy. Research suggests that listening to your favourite music can improve your mood, mental and physical performance.

Finding a type a genre of music that helps you zone into concentration may be different to what your colleague suggests.

Studies have shown time and time again that Classical music has the potential to improve brain functionality, this theory is more commonly known as the "Mozart Effect".

I'm not saying you have to attain the ears of Mozart or Beethoven, you could prefer listening to binaural beats, the sound of waves hitting a shoreline, birds singing, acoustic guitar melodies or even heavy rock metal. Yes apparently for some people it helps drown out the sound of their immediate environment.

The rule of thumb is to avoid songs with lyrics. Studies in the work environment have shown that music with lyrics reduces our mental performance at work, whilst instrumental music can boost our levels of productivity. Research from Applied Acoustics states that performance is reduced with increased speech intelligibility. In other words, the more words (and lyrics) we hear during work reduces our productivity.

Take a break

Not only should you know when it's time to work but also know when to have a break. Some studies have shown that the body is designed to work for 90 minutes before needing a recovery period. What this means is that if you focus all your energy into doing a project for 90 minutes and take a 30-minute break in multiple cycles, you'll achieve more, if not, better quality of work than working non-stop.

Find a pattern that works for you, examples would be splits of 25 minutes to 5 minutes rest, 50 to 20, 90 to 30. I personally perform better working 80 consecutive minutes with a 20-minute break.

Remember, only you know you and how you perform best. I hope these small tips help you improve your day.

In a few months, about 97% of people will come out of this pandemic and return to the same worries, excuses, and limitations. Complaining about their job; Bad spending habits; Not preparing for their future.

The other 3% will come back stronger. They will be more knowledgeable. They will have a plan for their goals; Learned new sills; Started a side hustle; Invested in their future.

Which group will you be in?