Whey, Laptop, and Music: Work-From-Home is Effective

10 Years of Freelancing and Field-based Affiliate Marketing in Tier-2 Cities across India taught me one thing-- Life Goes On...

COVID-19 disruptions are sad. With the count going up with every reported case of COVID-related deaths and quarantine, we are pushing the timeline farther to create a self-isolation mechanism for everyone around us. In the high-risk regions, we have seen how workplaces alone reported a large number of coronavirus cases.

A hibernation technique away from a real workplace hasn't deterred my goals and professional etiquette -- working from home on deadlines, email communications, telecalls, Skype meetings, and rejuvenation.

I am giving you a quick peek into my #WorkFromHome routine and how I have managed to dodge the chaos in the last 1 week or so...

And, it has brought back all the past memories of how Work-From-Home can make you effective in your functions.

Plan Your Day

I plan my day very early in the morning.

I break my day into a series of events, depending on the priorities.

• 6 AM to 8 AM: First Research-based Article of the Day
• 10 AM to 1 PM: Meetings and Delegation tasks
• 1:30 PM- 4 PM: Research, Sales Practices, and Marcom
• 6 PM to 8 PM: Wrap-Up articles, Reporting Updates and See-Offs

I have worked 14 hours at a stretch--- and I find it ridiculously easy to pull off my deadlines now. But, I recommend, breaking your day into windows of 2-3 hours is the best way to channelize your energy to derive the best results, especially when you are in B2B Sales and Marketing roles.

My Mondays and Fridays are longer by 30 minutes than any other weekday-- it gives me the buffer to take on additional tasks and activities. (On these days, I am on #HulkMode)

No calls on Fridays and weekends to ensure I can focus on my writing, research, and email communications.

Your WFH Workstation

I prefer dark and shady workstation with a lamp on top of my screen.

My table is clean, desktop swiped off dust and stains. The Buddha adds a sense of calm to my surroundings.

My ammunition at work includes:

• Powerful Laptop-- DELL LATITUDE 3400 with Intel Core i5-8265U Processor
• JBL Go 2 Portable Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker 
• Coolnut Power Bank 31200 mAh

Email Management

Like all MarCom executives, I deal with tons of emails. Out of habit, I feel obliged to reply to all my PR champions and marketing contacts to ensure smooth communications. At home, I am still replying to 40 emails an hour, which takes 2-5 minutes of undeterred attention to important messages and finer details.

I use a mix of Microsoft Outlook and Google Suite to stay on top of my emails. I have learned from my mentor that email responses have to quick and short-- an acknowledgment I have is the best way to respond to any email.

I use free versions of DocuSign, Atlassian's Trello, Evernote and RingCentral to collaborate seamlessly with my colleagues.

WhatsApp, not surprisingly, is the go-to-meeting center for my team and peers as well.

Videos

It's hard to include videos and live streaming chats to WFH schedules due to network limitations and internet bandwidth. I prefer to switch off my Video Meetings, and MarCom teams totally get the point.

LinkedIn & Twitter

It's crazy what I digest from checking daily feeds on my LinkedIn and Twitter walls. The feeds have been limited to B2B and Tech News only. I am using Microsoft's COVID-19 Tracker to understand the spread of the disease. No news feeds for me as yet.

Fitness and Nutrition

It's much easier for me to keep a tab on my fitness and nutrition while I WFH. I keep a handy shaker of Whey Smoothie by my side. Sipping and writing my stories make a healthy combo.

For those who want to know the secret of my 22" Guns-

Dymatize Elite 100% Whey Protein Supplement Powder + Creatine Monohydrate + BCAAs

Kids, Pets and Sleep

With WFH, you can expect your spouse to nag about babysitting and pet management. I do both, very well, thanks to a great partner. I am in India, and take calls very late into the night. At times, she understands it's a part of our lives. I have therefore sanctioned a sanctum of work to do my WFH tasks.

After reading thousands of Blogs on Covid-19 Workplace + Workforce management, I can opine that Work-from-Home is today the safest way to stay out of peer contact, and I am totally discounting the risk of contracting the virus during travel, passing through stairways, and elevator buttons.

Additional Tips

I am no health expert... But, you should keep a track of your past activities-- whom did you come in contact with, travel history and avoiding crowded places.

So, on your fingertips, here are 5 things you should do--

1. Drink Lots of Fluid, preferably a salt-sugar-lime-honey syrup
2. Sleep for 8 hours- I break it to 4+4 schedule/ 10 Minutes powernap is great at WFH. :)
3. Raise your Protein Intake
4. Keep Your Laptop Charged at All Times
5. Take the Sun.

Stay safe, and wish you a healthy panic-free WFH. Let tech + effective managerial skills take you through this tough journey.

(This article was written in 15 minutes using Google Docs and Notepad)