Since the on-going COVID-19 pandemic doesn’t seem to be ending anytime soon, it’s realistic to assume that working from home (WFH) may be the new normal for quite a while. For many employees, this experience will be new – not to mention frustrating and frightening – which means they’ll have to figure out how to juggle working in a new setup with household chores and family responsibilities. But this is not the time to panic and hide under your blankets; here are some ways we at Happiness Coach suggest you make WFH easier and more productive.
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Here’s Our Advice to Make Your WFH Situation Easier
First off, find some comfort in the fact that everyone around the world is, to some extent, in the same boat as you. Take a step back, relax, and remember to have compassion and empathy for everyone involved in your situation.
Here are six things we suggest you do to stay stress-free and productive as you work from home during these difficult times.
1. Focus on YOU
Yes, you’re not a robot, and you don’t need to balance everything on your two already struggling shoulders. Before you do anything else, remember to look after yourself. You won’t be able to achieve anything if you neglect your physical and mental well-being.
Build your WFH routine around your normal morning routine – take a shower, have a healthy and hearty breakfast, meditate, do some light exercise or some yoga, and dress up in good, comfortable work clothes rather than staying in your nighttime pajamas all day. If you’re into makeup and hair, go for it! If it makes you feel better on the inside, why not? But remember to keep your look professional.
Also, take this time to improve your overall health. If you don’t already have one, adopt a routine of applying serums and face masks to keep looking fresh and rejuvenated. Eat foods to enhance memory and concentration, such as dark chocolate, pumpkin seeds, and eggs. Restrict – and resist – binging on processed foods and sugary beverages.
2. See the Cup as Half Full
We understand that self-isolation and other restrictions due to lockdown poses both physical and mental challenges, but you must also realize that there’s a silver
We understand that self-isolation and other restrictions due to lockdown poses both physical and mental challenges, but you must also realize that there’s a silver lining to everything. What you feel are challenges today might become new opportunities and perspectives for positive growth tomorrow!
Use this uncertain and extraordinary situation to rethink all aspects of your life. Re-evaluate your personal and professional traits and consider the pandemic as an opportunity to bring about constructive changes.
3. Keep Your (and Your Team’s) Spirits Up
Everyone needs to put to keep morale up in these difficult times, and you must also do your part. As we said earlier, you’re not alone in these stressful times. Everyone is somewhat nerve-wracked, processing negative headlines, caring for sick and elderly loved ones, keeping children motivated and busy, stacking up groceries for a sudden emergency lockdown, and balancing all that with answering work emails and phone calls. But it’s on you to keep things under control.
Put effort into connecting with your colleagues and staying in touch with their current situation. This will help ease some of the looming feelings of isolation and depression. Have as much face-to-face interaction as possible via video calls and regular check-ins, especially with those colleagues who live alone: group chat and share ideas and concerns during virtual coffee breaks.
4. Learn Something New
We don’t mean you master the art of Kung-Fu or become a scientist while you’re stuck working at home! Try out simple new things, like learning a new computer program, or creating a new fancy graph, or adding some new perks to your presentations. There are many different (and free!) online courses available in this regard – browse the internet and see what clicks.
5. Complete an Unfinished Project
Is there a presentation or a manuscript lying somewhere deep in your computer’s hard drive that you couldn’t complete because you were too busy? Well, now’s the time to fish it out and get to completion! You might also consult with managers and colleagues online – something that you probably couldn’t do during hectic office hours – and achieve a long-pending goal.
6. Rethink Career Goals
These are indeed uncertain times, and foreseeing the future has never mattered more. Use your homebound spell to re-evaluate yourself and your potential career options. We suggest reading a book about career planning, testing out career opportunities via online simulations, or free introspection tools. These practices will help you improve the skills you have and brainstorm new ones you want to develop.
WFH is a continuous debate between guilt and gratitude – not having enough time for family and chores but being able to retain a job and earn a living. Just take a deep breath and focus on the positives; I have a stable job, my family is fed and safe and healthy, and most importantly, I’m surrounded by people who love and support me no matter what. This mantra is bound to keep you going!
For more help, if you’re feeling anxious or depressed, register for one of our different packages for Happiness Mentoring and start your free trial today!
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