Tips to keep going in this crisis

"Sometimes you need a little crisis to get your adrenaline flowing and help you realize your potential." - Jeannette Walls

Hello, Bonjour, Namaste,

COVID-19 has united the world in a weird manner. There is an international truce declared by the UN to combat this common enemy of humanity. The economy will be severely affected but the economy and how the world will change afterwards is a discussion for another time, and another blog post. For now, I will write about the problem in hand that has united most of the working population on the face of the globe.

A lot of us are working from home or more accurately – have been forced to work from home. How do you accommodate this sudden shift in your way of working? I guess it was ok, since the quarantine was initially only for 14 days. How has the work of different people been affected by the quarantine? What are its implications on the combined morale? Let’s explore these questions with some professionals working in different fields. I talked to different professionals and compiled their experiences and their remedies to face this crisis here.

According to Surbhi Tak, Lead Product Designer, CAST, SA -

“I manage all the products from the design perspective; hence each product can be in a different stage. I think I am more productive at home. When I must do problem solving, I am more creative at home away from distractions in the office. But when I must collect information from team members in the initial stages, it's easier to have brainstorming sessions in person. The discussion part is easier in the office. However, if it’s a small question, you can just ask without setting up and waiting for a meeting.

Thanks to the technology that we have, such as lots of online collaboration tools, we are able to talk, share and present work, but it is not the same as being in the office.”

Katerina Jerabkova, a wet lab Postdoctoral scientist at Institut Curie (Paris)/Institut d’Hématologie et d’Immunologie (Strasbourg), who works on studying human cells and the mechanisms mediating the onset of cancer found the idea of working from home impossible. Though lately, she is surprisingly busy. The nature of her work changed drastically: she doesn’t handle living cultures and she can't do new experiments. However, this lockdown has given her time to analyze old data and prepare her paper for submission whilst also preparing new grant proposals. She also continues to have lab meetings through video conferences.

“Compared to some other jobs, I think the biggest issue in our case is the novelty. We can do a lot of theoretical science from home, but in the end it's all about the experiments, the only things that will prove our theories correct (or wrong) and which will make science advance. Without performing experiments in the lab, we can't move anywhere in our research, therefore in the long-term it's not possible to work from home as a scientist.” says Katerina.

Giulia Menghi, IT Project Manager, Mars had the possibility to work from home before the lockdown, as most of her project team is not based in her local office. "I am connected to my team with my laptop at all times. So, working from home is not new from me. What is changing however is the frequency, as before I was working from home once/twice a month, now I do it every day. The challenge here is creating a healthy routine, where you balance working hours, conference calls, breaks and time off. You can work extra time one day, but if you are not able to close the laptop at the end of each day, it can become a problem.”

Luis Parra Lopez, a Physics PhD Student at Strasbourg University, is another scientist and the only physicist on our list. He worries about his experiments and the adaptation required to go through this crisis. It was quite hard for him initially as he was in the middle of a crucial experiment. Luis fears that his samples won,t be alright when he goes back, as he could not protect them before the lockdown.

"This is my last year and because of that I have a very tight schedule. I must plan my next series of measurements while performing the current ones, so the quarantine was not good for my research. However, I can now concentrate on other aspects of the experiment like digging deeper into the theory and into planning for when the quarantine is over. The most important thing is, of course, to protect others and respect the quarantine, science can always wait and/or adapt. Compared to other jobs, at least in my field, I would say there is a lot of space to adapt and I would say that for sure it is not the most difficult thing to do." he further adds.

Before compiling some tips for effective working from home in the extended quarantine period, let’s hear one last important opinion from Katharina Telfser, a freelancer who deals with international cooperation projects mainly related to sustainability and quality assurance, on her work being affected.

“In normal working days I travel approximately 2 weeks per month. When I'm home; I work some 6 hours per day. I start around 9, 9.30 AM and always stop at 18.00 at the very latest. In between I take breaks to eat, chat with my flatmates and do useful things such as laundry. I don't really care so much about completely distinguishing working hours from non-working hours, but I do track the time that I actively work for projects.” opines Katharina

“The Covid-19 crisis affected my travel plans for work. So, for now, all missions that were planned until end of May are cancelled or postponed. This means 5 weeks less full-time work than I expected. Of course, this is quite a loss of working time and income, but a lot of work has been shifted to online meetings. So, I can keep busy. I also reduced my working hours to 4 hours a day, so I can enjoy the sunny days and the garden and make sure that I don't get bored in the coming months. The good thing about the current situation is that most deadlines are not relevant anymore. So, I can take more time to work on my assignments and get things done that I keep postponing with my normal workload, " she further added.

It is indeed a big trouble for people whose jobs involves a lot of traveling. It is safe to say that every area of society has been hit hard by the current crisis, from freelancers to scientists to managers. Here is a compilation of insights and tips gathered after consulting with numerous diverse working profiles to help optimize tasks, projects and your day, to effectively work from home, and to accommodate ourselves in a longer quarantine which might extend even further.

1.      Set up a work bench 

It helps to have a dedicated workspace that you can physically separate from the rest of the comforts of your home. It gives a semblance of working in office. I personally keep a water bottle and some snacks near me. This way I keep myself hydrated and at times give myself a proper reward for working from home ??. Bring your work documents, pen and pencil, your computer or laptop to this desk and when you are at this desk, you are at work. With some initial distractions, this helps as brain adapts quite fast, when you see all your work-related things at one place.

2.      Minimize distractions, make your time at your home office count- be efficient

With the Covid crisis, numerous groups on Whatsapp, Facebook messenger and other social media communities have formed to keep in touch with friends and family. As much as this gives a feeling of support, continuous presence on these groups might be a big distraction. Therefore, it helps if you turn off your notifications for a limited time. Set up a time to review your messages and to reply.

According to Lesya Dymyd, Innovation Lead, 2CRSI, the POMODORO technique helps if you are working on a specific task and need to deliver the results quickly.

“The technique uses a timer to break down work into intervals, traditionally 25 minutes in length, separated by short breaks. Each interval is known as a pomodoro, from the Italian word for 'tomato', after the tomato-shaped kitchen timer that Cirillo, inventor of the technique, used as a university student.”

Taking two longer breaks (besides the short 5 min breaks) for lunch and tea/coffee will help keep up your productivity. Talk to your friends and family and make plans for the evening. Scheduling video conference drinks and meals with your loved ones in the evening keeps you motivated for work. It will also keep you sane.

3.      Be comfortable or be formal - find your perfect zone

Find your optimal setting. Some people find it comforting and are efficient in pyjamas while others like Marianne finds dressing properly as if you are going to work, to keep up the motivation and inspiration to work from home.

“Every piece of advice is great, but you have to find what suits you the best”, opines Nikolaos Parisis, Healthcare Innovation Fellow at EIT Health.

4.      Take care of your mental health - Set short term goals

It is extremely important to focus on our mental health actively. Reading too much corona news might lead to anxiety. Read just enough to keep yourself updated. Regular exercise is important. Exercises release endorphins, molecules that help us feel better. Long periods of isolation can result in depression. It is important to actively avoid reaching that phase. The trick is to maintain social distance, not emotional distance. You must realize that working from home saves commuting time. This time can be invested in exercise breaks ??

“With the quarantine extended, keep a positive attitude, focusing on the short term. Every 2/3 days assess your situation: Did I do some (indoor) sport? Did I eat balanced meals? Did I reach out to my parents or to my friends? What are my expectations/aspirations for the next couple of days? Reach out to friends/family you have not talked to for a while, no excuse is better than a world pandemic to check and ask, "How are you?” Unless you plan to write to your ex, in that case I would recommend not to. ;)” says Giulia.

“I am learning not to be upset with myself if one day I'm not extra motivated to work, I feel that there will be time to make up for it the next day. Basically, pretending that nothing has changed turned out to be the best way to stay in shape and motivated to work. I get up relatively early, get dressed, start to work, take a lunch break and try to continue working. Remember you have a job to return to”, says Katerina.

5.      Explore your hobbies

What can be a better time to open that box deeply embedded in your brain, that you always wanted to open, than in confinement, Now!

“I took the decision to slow down my working pace, dedicate the necessary time to each task, something I did not have time for with my normal workload - and improve my work-life balance. I hope I can stick to some of those new routines even when the situation gets back to "normal". I would encourage everyone to see this as an experimental phase during when you can find out how to make your life and work more enjoyable, not necessarily keep up a routine that hasn't been ‘set right’ for you in the first place.” opines Katharina Telfser.

“Now I have time to do things that I have been putting off. Whether it is learning a new software or learning a language or any form of creativity/art I wanted to follow, I have time to explore those options now. I wanted to read a few interesting books and now I don't have an excuse. I am loving the time with my books”, shares Surbhi Tak.

6.      Adapt – Change is the only constant!

“You must adapt to the new temporary situation, otherwise, you’ll fail”, opines Jose Vallejos from High Five Physical Therapy.

7.      How to manage if you have children ?

Things can be very difficult if you are a parent. Challenges of working from home increase many folds in this case. Jacalyn Newman, a full-time working mum from Pennsylvania shares her time management experience while managing her kids -

“If you have kids, a timer is your best friend. I work for 30 minutes. When timer goes off, I play with kids for 10 minutes. Rinse and repeat. You may have to work in sprints, but you will get things done. My toddler son was able to understand a timer and taking turns. When he wants the computer for a game, and I need it for work, we took turns. I wrote by hand during his turn and he did something with physical toys during my turn. It works! The timer is impartial, and they never seem to resent that you are the one setting it!”

Overall, setting up a work bench, being in your most productive zone, setting up timers, goals and rewards help. Mental health is something we should not ignore. I hope these insights help and motivate you to keep up to your tasks.

For the next blog, I will bring you the changes in economy, recruitment and how you can make your job search efficient by using the tools of virtual networking. 

Stay safe, stay healthy, Saurabh

*Article written and assembled by Saurabh Tak, Edited by Daisy Harwood.