First of all, let me set the record straight here, we are NOT working from home; we are forced to stay at home during a pandemic and we are trying to work. So this is far from a usual work from home scenario and may be why it doesn’t only seem difficult but impossible on some days. Parents with children are struggling the most among all other WFHers and me being a mom of a 5 years old can 100% corroborate on their behalf! It’s been 2.5 months that I am working from home and I wanted to share what has worked for me to stay somewhat productive.
Get some alone time before everyone wakes up. It is SO important for me to get that 30 minutes of peace before the craziness of the day starts. I just love to be able to not rush and slowly wake up while freshening up, changing out of night pjs, opening all the curtains in the house, quickly tidy up by putting things back to it’s place, putting on the coffee, etc. Do whatever that prepares you for the day. Some like to journal and meditate and it really takes no more than 10-15 minutes and is a very mindful habit to get into. I meditate at varied times during the day but I plan to get in the habit of doing it in the morning as well.
Get ready for the day. I personally am not a full on getting ready wearing dress pants, makeup type of person when it comes to working from home but I still get ready for the day in my own way. I make sure to get out of my night pyjamas first thing in the morning and then wear something that will keep me comfortable during the day. Then I freshen up, cleanse my face, moisturise, tie my hair, put on a relaxing music and have my coffee before I log into my computer.
Set a positive tone for the day I love listening to classical or soft piano as I get ready for the day and I also light a scented candle as I take the first sip of my coffee, these little rituals puts me into a great mood.
Keep a designated workspace. It’s important to have a room or a separate low traffic space in the house where you will feel comfortable and motivated to work from and it’s more important for me to keep my workstation and the surrounding area clutter free because I truly believe in clutter free space= clutter free mind and it helps me stay focused on my work rather than getting distracted on the clutter that needs attention. I had to set up my workstation in my basement due to logistic issues which doesn’t get much sunlight or a great view but if you have the option to pick a spot with abundant sunlight along with a nice view, definitely do that because it makes a huge difference in your mood. Lastly, having a separate workspace helps me keep my work life separate from home life. Once I enter this area, I don’t think about housework and vice versa.
Follow a schedule. Even though I’m working from home but I strictly follow my 9-5 work schedule and I take my full one hour lunch that too on my designated lunch time at 1pm. This helps me stay on track and allows me time to unplug and rest.
Create a to-do list for the day using block schedule. A block schedule is creating multiple, short to-do lists each day instead of one really long one and then you tackle each of those to-do lists during different “blocks” of time throughout the day.
For example:
- For block#1 I get ready for work, have coffee, tackle emails, voicemails and get the most important things out of the way.
- For block#2 I get up and stretch, check social media, have a second cup of coffee, check up on my daughter, do some pending house chores, etc.
- For block#3 I try to work uninterrupted for an hour straight.
- For block#4 I will have lunch, do some least important work post lunch and log off for the day.
- For block#5 I will spend time with my daughter and do some activities with her, go for a walk and lastly do dinner, bath and bed time.
- For block#6 I will either work on my blog or watch tv or read something or do nothing at all. This is my free time and what I do during this time will vary each day.
Have a weekly to-do list. It’s also important to have a bigger picture by having a flexible, weekly to-do list so I can stay on track by the end of week as a back up plan in case the important daily tasks don’t get completed on one of the days.
Work in batches using the pomodoro technique, it basically means working uninterrupted with 100% attention and without any distraction for 25 minutes straight and repeat that multiple times during the day for maximum productivity. In that 25 minutes, I make sure not to look at my phone or do anything else outside of work, get up for any reason or get distracted by anything at all. I also make sure to use this techniques when I’m most productive and motivated which usually is the first few hours in the morning and an hour or so after lunch.
Avoid distraction and cancel the household background noise by listening to any soft music or white noise while doing the uninterrupted 25-30 minute batch work. Trust me, it is super easy to get distracted from all the noise so it’s a must for me when I really need to get some work done.
Take breaks. As much as it is important to work uninterrupted for batches of time to increase productivity, its equally important to give your brain a break. Our brain only has certain capacity to concentrate for so long, so it’s imperative that we unplug and give it some much needed rest between our work day. I usually get up and get something to eat or drink, talk to my family, etc. during this time.
Okay you guys are probably wondering, how is she doing all this ninja work with a 5 year old at home?? Well that brings me to the next points!
Divide childcare with your partner. I am lucky to have my spouse working a late shift which gives me a full uninterrupted morning. My husband makes sure our daughter have breakfast, changes out of her pj, does school or other activities, etc. But ofcourse there are days when he sleeps in a bit so I’ll get her dressed, cleaned; etc. before starting work and when he wakes up, he will take care of her until his shift starts. But if you don’t have that option, make sure to find activities that doesn’t need supervision when you need to work uninterruptedly or have to attend a conference call. Those activities include but not limited to, drawing, painting, sticker activity books, puzzles, video games, playing with dolls/figures, pretend play or anything that your child enjoys doing on his/her own. If all fails, resort to screen time and most importantly for the sake of your own sanity stop feeling guilty about increased screen time. Like I said before, this is not a usual work from home situation and we are not meant to be homeschooling and working simultaneously without any hiccups so please cut yourselves some slacks.
Take short breaks to spend time with your child. This is really important for older kids who enjoys playing with a partner. My daughter is at that stage when she gets antsy when I am busy working all day and constantly wants to know when I can play with her. Also being a mommy’s girl, she prefers me over her dad for most activities (tell me I’m not alone!). So I like to take a 10-20 minute break and spend that time with her doing whatever she prefers or sometimes I’ll have lunch or snack with her. And once done, I promise her that I will take such mini breaks again as long as she nicely plays on her own when mommy is busy working and I make sure to keep that promise.
Get most out of the uninterrupted time. I plan my tasks that need undivided attention according to when my daughter is busy watching tv or ipad or when my husband can fully pay attention to her.
Don’t let your work take over your life. The line between work life and home can get easily blurred when working from home. And during this unprecedented times when most companies are going through a lot of pressure resulting in an increasing workload, it is impossible to not feel overwhelmed. I’ve been drowning under a mountain of work lately but what helps me stay afloat is keeping a strict work schedule and logging off fully at the end of the day and staying away from work until the next day. And that means no checking work emails at dinner or other odd times.
Get out and relax. Now that we’re spending a disproportionate amount of time at home, it is more important than ever to go outside and get some fresh air. I crank the window open several times during the day and when the weather is nicer, I plan to leave it open so I can enjoy the sun and air right from my desk. I spend my lunch at my backyard, take power naps or go walk around the block sometimes after work. Spending time in nature helps you relax and clears your mind. And lastly at the end of the day (if you’re a mom, at the end of dinner, bath, bedtime battle) enjoy some unstructured time by doing things you enjoy or do nothing at all and relax. I do all my blogging and netflixing during this time and you bet this is what really helps me unwind.
Practice Gratitude. It goes without saying that I feel grateful everyday for having a job during this time when millions of people have lost jobs and lives due to this pandemic and I remind myself of this daily. When life gets too hectic and the cabin fever sets in, this feeling of gratitude keeps me on check!
Hope you find this post helpful, please don’t forget to let me know in the comments section! Until next time, stay home, stay safe and stay healthy!