CovidTrackerTT

This article is intended to provide some tips based on my personal experience that will capitalize on the benefits of working from home and at the same time minimize the downsides of it so that you can maintain effectiveness of your role and function, be productive by working smarter not harder. The key for me is a structured daily schedule, that is neither rigid nor too flexible, as it enables me to achieve the work-life balance that I want and provides space to respond to unscheduled situations.

1. Create a space from which you can work comfortably, this will get your mind ready to work and help you to stay focused.
2. Determine your peak productive hours based on lifestyle, personality type and responsibilities at work, at home and in community.
3. Calculate your required or desired work hours per day or week based on contractual obligations and intention.
4. Develop the schedule that will become your daily or weekly routine. You can use an excel sheet, online calendar or an App.
   The key things to insert are:
   1. Peak productive time during which you will do all focus work.
   2. Non-variable work commitments
   3. Non variable personal commitments
   4. Time for online meetings, communication with clients, service providers and other team members.
   5. Time for homecare, self-care and other non-work-related responsibilities.
   6. Rest, relaxation and Sleep
5. Prepare a workplan so that you can effectively achieve the expected outputs and meet the deadlines set. This planning takes some time and thought, but it allows you to assess in advance what is achievable and when it is achievable, based on the time required in hours and timing if it involves others There are many tools available to do this, I use a variation of the Eisenhower matrix which you can check out at https://www.eisenhower.me/eisenhower-matrix/
6. Maximise the use of technology available to you by your company and online. Even if your company does not have special technology to facilitate remote working you can effectively use Emails, WhatsApp and telephone together with the range of free software available, like TeamViewer to share your screen with other team members and Zoom and Skype for online meetings. Use the one that is most appropriate for the task and speed of response required.
7. Consider the realistic issues
   1. Others at home that may not understand the level of concentration and dedication you need to get your work done, would require a conversation with them so that they can understand that although you're working from home it doesn't mean you are available to them 24/7. Set realistic boundaries on times that they don’t disturb and on cues that will signal that you are in work mode.
   2. Getting into work mode - Do whatever gives your brain the mental cue to go into productive work mode, even if it means getting dressed as if you are going to an office.
   3. Human connection - To not feel disconnected from the rest of your team and isolated from family and the world it is important to schedule time to connect with others even if it is via technology.
   4. Self-Care - When the line between “work” and “home” starts to blur, you might find yourself stuck to your computer screen for a longer period. While that can sometimes be necessary to meet deadlines give yourself time for you. Commit to your fitness routine and make sure that you’re creating blocks in your schedule to eat healthy nutritious meals so that you can be focused and productive when you need to be.
   5. Social media is designed to make it easy for you to open and quickly browse for information and connection, which makes it a good tool and resource, but on the other hand, it can suck you in with all its “drama” and can become a hindrance to your productivity. If you have a compulsive personality, then do whatever is necessary to curb the impulse to log into them during your scheduled work hours and set a limited portion of your recreational time to do so.
   6. Time to “log on and off” is important from two perspectives
      1. Because you don’t have the visual cue of people leaving the building to let you know it is the end of the workday, you may hunker down for long hours and push till you are overtired and the law of diminishing returns sets in.
      2. As we become increasingly more connected via technology and more people are working flexible hours, you may receive emails and chat notifications at any hour of the day or night. Set an appropriate time when you will go online to read and respond and when you will log off from reading; because depending on the content of the communication it may affect you negatively even before you get into the day and if it’s in the middle of the night it could affect your sleep.