Waking up early, getting ready, and punching in on time at work has always been one of the toughest things for me. But the COVID-19 outbreak introduced something much tougher than this. Waking up at a regular time, getting ready, and starting to work from home. A lot of people aspire to get a job that allows them to "Work From Home." Waking up at their own time, no hurry to get ready, what to wear today is off the decision-making list, those hours spent in travel are spent in bed (sleeping), and many more such thoughts cross the mind as we hear from our friends from IT companies that they can work from home. But is that the real case? Is it really that easy? Do we ever think about the challenges this so-called "FACILITY" comes along with? Concentrating on work while surrounded by all the personal distractions around is not a cakewalk. That bed will constantly lure you to catch that quick 10 min nap, that power socket is out of reach from your comfortable seat, is that couch too comfortable to work, aaah.. these power cuts, the frequent hunger strokes. These distractors make their presence felt as one experiences WFH. Well, it's a fight between willpower and distractors. It's your fight with your surroundings 😊 Why, suddenly, has my manager become so demanding? The first thought that crosses your mind after interaction over the phone. What do these frequent calls from the boss mean? Are they done to ensure that I'm working? Am I not trusted enough? These are frequent thoughts that capture your mind. However, it might not be true. Those calls might be required, answers to those questions might be important for the other person to proceed and plan other activities. WFH puts a lot more responsibility on your individual shoulders than what you handle while working from the office space. Now, it's not just about working, but it's a fight with your emotions, needs, and comfort. One must come out of their comfort zone to be able to deliver relevant and desired output for the day. The question comes "what can be done." Here are a few suggestions: 1. Follow a schedule: With your professional life over the years, you and your body have adopted a set pattern to operate. The lesser the deviation from that schedule, the better it will be for you to return to the normal routine once WFH gets over. Maintain your eating habits, have a timely breakfast and lunch, avoid unnecessary munching (just because it's accessible). Have a fixed start and stop time for your work. Match your working hours with your stakeholders. It is critical for the success of your work; your absence in an important meeting during the day cannot be justified by the fact that you started working early and completed working hours for the day before the meeting. 2. "Things to do" list: Create a detailed list of action points for yourself. Prioritize these action points based on your expected deliverables. Keep reviewing this list throughout the day. It will help you stay focused on your work and define targets for yourself. By the end of the day, you will have clarity on your hits and misses. Misses can be carried forward to the next, and you may pat your own back for the hits. 3. Time to use that study table again: Too much comfort can be a big distractor. Avoid operating your professional life from your bed or a couch. Rather, use that study table which might be relaxing in one corner of the room. If possible, have a chair that allows you to sit upright, with your feet touching the ground. Have your power connection sorted to keep your electronic devices like a laptop, mobile phone, etc., up and running. It will help you keep your energy level and focus alive. 4. Avoid Social Media interactions: This is the most critical factor one needs to consider before starting to work from home. We have unknowingly become slaves to social media. Survival without food and water is imaginable, but a life without Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, etc., seems impossible today. A survey in America found that 75% of people blamed social media for their procrastination and lack of focus on work. To avoid this, you may want to mute a few not-so-important WhatsApp groups. Social media has the power to pull our attention, spend hours reading about what others are doing, appreciating them, criticizing them, and even disliking them. It doesn't make any difference in their life, but it takes away from you the most expensive asset of yours, YOUR TIME. 5. Quick calls with colleagues/boss: Before the boss calls, update her/him about the progress of tasks assigned, ask questions on deliverables, share a quick chat on the current situation. This can put you on the driving seat. Check with your teammates/colleagues for any work-related updates, share how you are managing things, learn from their experiences. Gossips, long discussions, useless talks can distract you and lead to missed deadlines for your work delivery. 6. Pamper yourself a bit: During the initial phase of working from home, you may find it tiring and boring. Hence, it's okay to pamper yourself with frequent yet short breaks. You may set an alarm for a 10-minute breather after every hour. With time, the frequency of breaks can slowly be increased to 2 hours. During the break, take a walk around, check how your colleagues/friends are coping up with this unusual WFH thing, make yourself a coffee, etc. Being strict with yourself on maintaining break duration will definitely help. Working from home is fun; it allows you to stay in a protected and stress-free environment. Utilizing the time and available resources and avoiding distractions are the keys to success under any circumstance. Make it a wonderful experience for yourself and make your organization believe that work location doesn't impact your performance negatively. Have a lovely, productive, and fun-filled Work from Home experience. Cheers..!! Gaurav Dhyani
From India, Delhi
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