Ever feel like you are caught in a time loop, repeatedly reliving the same day, working from home, eating from home, sitting at home.. repeat? With coronavirus on everybody’s mind, we continue our Groundhog Day existence. What would you like to try to do better each day? And how can we make the best of working from home?
Maybe I am showing my age here by referencing the film Groundhog Day? I may not be the featured cynical weatherman, but, as Phil Connors repeats each day over and over, he sees it as a way to turn it to his advantage. I’ve tried to follow that pattern as I embrace working from home. To make the best of working from home and draw positives from this crazy time. Having tried it out for over a month during COVID (at the time of writing), it’s time to put what I have meant down and pay attention to it, if I am to carry on through the next few months!
Make A Designated Working From Home Space
It’s all well and good thinking I’ll hang about in my pyjamas and email colleagues from the comfort of my bed but actually, getting up, dressed, showered and going to a dedicated work area is much better for your mind as you associate that space with working.
Make sure it’s a space out of sight of other activities so that when your work-day is over, you are not staring at a pile of work papers and your laptop as you need to have headspace away from work too. Sometimes, to make the best of working from home, you need to fully step away from it, so you can return refreshed and ready.
Have A Break
Just like in the office when you and your colleagues had a coffee break or a walk outside for lunch, make sure you factor that into your routine. Okay so you are not allowed not to wander about outside but regardless of where you are, get up, walk around your flat, go up and down the stairs a few times, move round the room or even try a bit of yoga online. Here at Le Répertoire de Gaspard we run regular yoga sessions each Tuesday at 17h via zoom for our employees, to keep motivated throughout the COVID period.
Communicate
There is a danger of thinking that now you are away from your boss and colleagues, you should check-in less when in fact you need to communicate even more.
Find out what works best for you and your team, whether it’s via Skype, Zoom, Whatsapp, there’s a whole myriad of sources and thanks to technology we can all still stay in touch with one another. In order to make the best of working from home it’s vital to keep the human parts of office life alive! That joke with a colleague, a compliment here and there, a bon appétit before lunch time. A little goes a long way!
Check-in daily at the same time to get a work rhythm in place and then an end of week group call to give everyone that Friday feeling ! Want some ideas for how to socialize while social distancing? Check out our blog post for some suggestions!
Routine
Yes we have all been banging on about this for years but actually, it makes sense. The days where there are no structure (usually the week-end) I can feel I am yearning for it so I’ve learnt to relish routine! Ok so it creates that Groundhog Day feeling but then as you hit the weekend and relax, the structure you set in place begins to kick-in and you feel like you’ve earned it. As a mum of three, I know that without some routines, the whole day would collapse and both kids (and adults) really benefit.
Set key times for work calls, emails, colleague check-in and your days will fly by and before you know it we will be out of the COVID period. Also you find you will become more productive, honest !
Relax, Reassess and Re-skill
Ok now is really the time to relax a bit, reassess your life and what’s important to you. Make a to-do list of what you always wanted to learn about but never had the chance too due to running about all day from one place to another. Now you have the chance to re-skill, why not improve your French via one of Le Répertoire de Gaspard’s online French sessions? Rubbish at Microsoft office? Log-in to an online course and brush up on your skills so that post COVID you will have a really great skill-set. Try to set goals for tasks you might never have had a chance to do without all this confined time. Want some more ideas for activity tips to survive covid-19, or for daily activities to mix up your confinement routine, check out our blog posts!
Count Your Lucky Stars
For those of us fortunate enough still to be working – and from home now, count your lucky stars we have the technology in place to keep things moving smoothly. I am so grateful for the opportunities and at this period more than ever, we need to remember that.
I give a personal thanks to all the amazing team and employees at Le Répertoire de Gaspard for making my Groundhog Day that so much better : )
