Survival Kit – Working from Home during COVID-19 Lockdown

Cátia Mantas Cátia Mantas

Cátia Mantas

Head of People & Talent na Maven || Changing Pet Care as we know it ??

发布日期: 2020年4月20日
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“How to keep sane during the “storm” caused by COVID-19?” seems to be the question for many of us. It’s almost impossible not to be scared when thinking on its impact on every dimension (economy, social, mental health, etc). I dare to say that most of us don’t merely fear the disease itself, rather we’re more scared with its impact on every level of our lives: from missing relatives, to difficulties in paying the rent due to loss of incomes, to have our children with their schools closed & managing parents responsibilities while still trying to work, the adaption to new working technologies and methods, you name it.

There are so many challenges that one can simply freeze when considering so many adverse conditions. However, there’s also a lot of coping strategies to overcome it and a lot of opportunities awaiting you at this time. Let's focus on those :)

Lesson No.1 | Accept there are some things you just can’t control and focus on the ones you can!

Let’s be real, you’re not going to to be able to control when the lockdown is over (unless you’re the President ofc), how soon this crisis will pass or how soon you can be called for an interview. However, you can change the perception of all of those – what skills will I learn or improve during this lockdown? What have I learnt from it? How can I improve my resume/CV or competences?

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Now that we got that right, let’s move to the real business…

Lesson No. 2 | Let’s Learn how to be proper functional human beings again

A.   Exercise, Exercise, Exercise

  • Sticking with your exercise routine is super important for your body and mind. Make sure you stay active as this will also boost your immune system. Only advantages here, right? If you’re still able, go outside for a walk or run. If not, you can get a great workout in your home space as well. Improvise – adapt – overcome!
  • If you’re running out of ideas check here a few free apps to help you on the way: https://thesportsedit.com/blogs/news/sweat-7-of-the-best-free-workout-apps-for-tracking-and-planning
  • A few companies like mine are also promoting some fitness classes/ stretching sessions to their employees. If you have those available at your work take full advantage of it. If not, make sure you get up at least once every hour, walk around the house and stretch at your own pace.

B.   Healthy diet, healthy mind

  • Try to eat slow-release foods to help you maintaining energy levels as those tend to be lower than usual when stuck indoors. Also avoid sugar spikes that can cause you to jump on a roller-coaster.
  • Make sure you also plan ahead when shopping for groceries (lists all the way!) as this way you can avoid the tendency to comfort-eat and binge on bad foods.
  • Try to avoid alcohol or drugs consumption to manage your mental health and wellbeing.
  • Make sure you drink enough water during the day. We’re basically plants with complicated emotions ??.
  • Check here some additional ways to boost you immune system through nutrition: https://theconversation.com/5-ways-nutrition-could-help-your-immune-system-fight-off-the-coronavirus-133356
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Lesson no. 3 | Shape your mindset based on routines that work for you

  • We all know it’s tempting to have endless pyjama days, nevertheless building a “new normal” / creating a routine is key! Develop a daily schedule and stick to it:
  1. Set your alarm as a regular wake time will be good for your body clock and get your brain working more effectively.
  2. Get some fresh air on the window before sitting at your computer.
  3. Grab your coffee if needed (coffee is love, coffee is life).
  4. Make sure you wear what you would normally wear if you were heading to the office (or at least the top parts ??).
  5. Do whatever helps you to feel ready for the day/keep any routines you had already in place.
  6. Try to segment what you'll do and when, over the course of the day aka what the Portuguese people like to call "Partir o elefante às postas" ??. Create personal events and reminders on your calendar that tell you when to shift gears and start on new tasks or take a break.
  7. Pick a definitive finishing time each day and stick to it like you would if you were leaving your office to go home. This will help you switch off and relax for the evening.
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Lesson No. 4 | Define clear limits (time & place to work vs time and place to relax)

  • Working from home makes it much easier for you to become so involved in your work that you forget about breaks. Make sure you take regular coffee breaks and lunch breaks as you’d usually do and make them count: get away from your desk/phone/laptop if possible or mute any notifications during that period.
  • Find a permanent workspace at home to be ‘your office’: make a clear distinction between workspace and home/relax space as this will help you get into the right frame of mind. If possible, try to separate the “home office” from the places you usually use to relax such as sofa or bed (Netflix and chill will be way better if your brain doesn't associate it with the deadlines at work, trust me).
  • Check your posture and prioritise the ergonomics of your workspace - make sure you have a comfortable and well-supported seat in your workspace and that your computer is at the right height, if you have adjustable desks even better. A few more advices can be found here: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/how-to-sit-correctly/

Lesson No. 5 | Refine your emotional Compass & ask for help if needed!

  • Avoid an information overload – it can be helpful to have a certain level of detachment from updates. Try to find a balance that works for you like scheduling some time to engage with updates/watch the news and use the messaging function on apps like messenger and whatsapp to maintain social contact while limiting time on news feeds.
  • Keep in contact with friends, family and colleagues – this is one of the most important things you can do to maintain sane. Make sure you keep in contact with your social network, particularly those closest to you. It’s also super important to keep up the water-cooler conversations with colleagues at work. Don’t be afraid to share any concerns with people you trust.
  • If you’re feeling lost & need emotional support don’t hesitate in looking for professional psychological help! Check out this sources: https://mentalhealth-uk.org/help-and-information/covid-19-and-your-mental-health/, https://acalma.online/.
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Lesson No.6 | Say Yes to your version 2.0

While the world is "on pause" there are a lot of opportunities for self-improvement just around the corner.

  1. Keep yourself updated - Now is the time to revisit your bookmarks or your pending articles/books, and get some serious reading done. Give yourself a break from reading COVID-19 news and create some time to keep yourself updated on literature from your field. It's probably the best time to pay a visit to the most recent academic literature, this way you’re going to be super up-to-date with industry news and trends.
  2. Make the most of virtual events – there’s plenty of webinars, workshops and conferences being conducted by organisations and universities. Best part: most of them are free or with significant discounts ??. Make sure you take this opportunity to learn more with low investment.
  3. Learn new skills - Now that you are saving on the commuting time, you can invest it in improving these skills so that you are better equipped to make progress with your project once the world is back to normal. Some platforms make available a huge variety of courses: Coursera, Udacity, Udemy, edX, etc. offer a lot of courses that you can choose from. Some of these courses are also affiliated to universities/learning institutes.
  4. Networking - With social distancing, people are spending more and more time on social media. Take advantage of this opportunity to network. Try to make your social media presence stronger. Everybody is now talking about COVID-19 and sharing the challenges they’re facing, so it’s even easier to join the conversations right now and make yourself known within your community while learning important lessons from your peers.
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If you survived the last 6 lessons without falling asleep, closing your browser or jumping to memes pages, CONGRATULATIONS. Here's the last one :)

Lesson No.7 | Keep productivity while managing chaos

  • Work in short sprints – one of the most known hacks for productivity is sprint-working. 45-60-minute sprints of focused work (followed by a short break) can be an effective way to break up the day and maintain your concentration levels. Other good option can be the Pomodoro Technique. More info here: (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomodoro_Technique
  • Switch off before you switch on – If you really need to focus on something but the constant notifications distract you (slack, emails, whatsapp notifications) you can silence them. Safe tip: Just make sure you don’t disconnect any that are essential to your role (example: if you receive calls from INEM /911, mute the phone is not exactly the best option for you ??) . It’s also advisable to change your status to “on lunch” or “do not disturb” when needed as this lets people know you need to space to work on something. It also helps releasing some pressure on having to reply immediately.
  • If possible, work when you’re most productive: nobody sprints through their work 8h a day; your motivation will naturally change throughout the day. When you’re working from home, however, it can be easy to slip into continuous hours of work without being interrupted (unless you have children at home or trillion notifications on slack). Think about the times you feel most energised and plan your heavier tasks when you know you’ll be in the right headspace for them. Less demanding tasks can be taken care during slower points, you can even call them “small acts of success”. This quick wins will help you build your strength for heavier pending projects.
  • Keep on communicating - you’re not in this alone. Despite not working physically together, it remains important to stay in regular contact with your colleagues/ managers. We encourage you to let people know of any successes that you may be having, as well as any issues – working together is always the best solution :)
  • Keep your focus - make sure to log everything on our systems. Any new ideas/suggestions can be used to work on improving the systems that we have for the future, making sure everything is up-to-date, and also sorting out any admin we might have.
  • Don't push to hard on yourself! While maintaining some activities, feeling you're still growing and being productive may be important, it's even more important to find your own balance. Don't stress out if you're not accomplishing unrealistic goals, if you're not reading 100 books, or doing X,Z,Y courses. Find your own rhythm and learn from it.

Thanks for reading it! Hope this tips helped you somehow :)

Feel free to comment and share any tips that worked for your also !

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