7 Key Tips to Survive Working from Home this Pandemic

A lot of us have been working from home for months now due to the pandemic. We’re very thankful for our companies who prioritize the employees’ safety and allow us to continue working while quarantined in our homes.

Now as “sweet” as working from home sounds for most people, it does present its own set of challenges and difficulties. From internet connection issues that happen during the most critical times, to being unable to focus because of the countless distractions at home or burnout due to the fact the line between your work life and personal life has blurred. So much of our lives have changed the last couple of months and adapting to this new normal is something that we’re all struggling together.

For this week, I thought I’ll share with you guys 7 Key Tips to Survive Working from Home this Pandemic. The Work From Home experience is surely different for everyone given one’s line of work or current living situations. I do hope that any of these tips may help ease your work from home experience during this time under quarantine.

7 Key Tips to Survive Working from Home this Pandemic

1. Stick to your usual daily routine at work

Do the same routine you would usually do on a normal working day. You don’t need to travel to get to work anymore, so you can technically wake up a little later. Once you get out of bed, enjoy your morning by eating breakfast or working out first. Then, get yourself ready for work by taking a shower, brushing your teeth and dressing up real nice (at least, from the waist up for any expected video conference calls).

I personally have my own rituals before I even start working and, I still do them while I’m at home. I make sure to have piping hot coffee in my Stojo cup while I read through my emails and write up my to do lists for the day.

2. Carve out your own workspace

It’s good to have a designated space in your home to work so you wouldn’t be uncomfortable or lose focus during long working hours. As much as possible, do not work on your bed or on the floor. You need a spot where you can leave work and come back for it the next day.

It’s even ideal to have your own work table or desk by the window. Choose a spot where you have a decent amount of sunlight and you may even throw in some plants to liven up the place.

Of course, most of us have to make do with what we have. Don’t be afraid to move around some furniture or invest in equipment because you will be using them every day anyway. My biggest work from home investment is a second monitor and well, I can’t live without it anymore. Sometimes, I also whip out essential oils and turn on my humidifier just for a more relaxing working atmosphere.

3. Clock in and out on time

So you don’t have to be in the office anymore. Work is no longer a place to rush to during mornings and leave after shift just to be stuck in traffic on the way home. You are home and now, work puts emphasis on time instead.

Value your company’s time and make sure you’re doing work inside of it and nothing else. At the same time, don’t do anything work-related outside of your normal working hours. Shut off your computer when your shift is up and do not think about work any longer until you come back the next day.

Draw that hard line between work and your personal life even if they’re all happening in the same place. Work life balance is always going to be important. You shouldn’t abuse yourself or sacrifice your own time just because “you can work” even if you’re not supposed to.

4. Be in constant communication with your team

We no longer see our office-mates face to face, but for sure, we still have to work together a lot. Extend an extra effort to communicate better in emails or during calls via zoom or skype. Managers and supervisor are also doing regular check-ins to see how each employee is doing so take advantage of that.

You guys can also talk informally or chat each other even if it’s not related to work. The team can also arrange some fun time or online activities just to keep everyone in touch and in good spirits.

5. Look away from your computer and stand up from time to time

It’s so easy to get a headache if you’re staring at your computer screen for too long. Your butt can go also numb sitting on one spot all day. So, try to stand up from time to time. Do stretches to liven up your limbs or you can even do a bit of freestyle dancing. No need to worry because nobody’s gonna see you, right? When work gets too overwhelming, try to take a short break from time to time. Just remember to come back right away because there’s still work to do.

6. Avoid or block potential distraction at home

Try to focus on your work by avoiding to use social media or getting caught up in distractions at home.The more things you do at once, the longer you’re likely to get one task done.

What I do is keep myself in the zone and block our distractions from family members in the house is wear noise-cancelling headphones. Listening to music while working allows me to focus entirely on work and also gets me all pumped up to get stuff done. This also makes those sudden internet loading issues a bit more bearable.

7. Enjoy your weekends and time off

That’s it! Work is over so it’s time to reward yourself and chill out. Practice work life balance and fill in your free time unwinding or doing the things you love even if you’re just at home. Just because your laptop is there and you work at home now doesn’t mean you’re accountable to work 24/7.

Try to enjoy what you work all week for. Hopefully when this pandemic is over, we can go outside again and truly reward ourselves by having late-nights out partying, taking long vacations travelling, and seeing our beloved friends once again.

I hope you guys found some of the tips I listed useful. We don’t know until when we’re going to have to work from home, but it isn’t so bad, right? I hope you guys are still taking care of yourselves and making the most out of your lives.

Even with all of the craziness that’s going on outside our homes and around the world, our lives kind of have to go on. We can get through this. Yes, we can!

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