The Bright Sides of Working from Home and Social Distancing

As companies continue to protect their employees against Covid-19 by instituting social distancing and work from home (WFH) policies, the reality is that it’s not easy to keep that distance and loneliness and depression can creep in. Companies have instituted video conferences via Zoom, Google Groups and other video sources. This is great to keep morale up and keep the communication going but in order to keep your happiness ratio steady, you must stay disciplined and have a positive outlook through this period. Below are some ways that will help you stay positive and deal with the WFH schedule that most of us are under.
1) Specific Office Space
It’s important to set aside a specific room that you can still feel is your particular work area during work hours. If you don’t have an extra room, then set aside a specific table or small corner. Design it to make it look like a workstation and set rules that when you are there, you are not to be interrupted.
2) Set a Regular Work Schedule
One of the advantages of WFH is that you have a more flexible schedule. However, this does not mean that you should deviate too much from your regular work hours. It’s still important to set work hours so you know that at such and such time, you should be at your desk, dressed and ready for work. Try to dress in a way that you still feel good about being seen in person, especially since you will be on video with your team quite a bit of the time. It is best to stay away from working in pajamas and keep your regular make-up routine so you feel like you are going to work.
3) Eat and Take Breaks
Continue your meals on a regular schedule and try not to over-snack. You might be tempted to take frequent breaks for snacks, instead consider taking a break to stretch or take a short walk outside or, if you have stairs in your house, do some stair-stepping. You want to move every 30 minutes and since you can’t go to the gym during this time, consider exercise videos once your work hours end. You can also enjoy a hike in the outdoors where and when allowed.
4) Stay in touch with Friends, Family and Colleagues.
Don’t isolate yourself during this time. Your Spirit needs some uplifting and friends, family and colleagues can provide that. Try to keep your conversations positive. You already get too much Covid-19 information from the news. You need some uplifting. Have virtual lunch time with colleagues, share a virtual happy hour with friends and family.
5) Take up a New Hobby
During WFH you have a more flexible schedule and are not losing time to travelling to and from work, you can now make time for that hobby you’ve been wanting to take up or to learn something new that you haven’t had the time for. Whenever we learn something new, it creates a sense of joy. Share your new hobby with others.
6) Play Music in the Background
Many studies have shown that music can calm the nerves and create joy as well as the opposite depending on the type of music you play. Different music styles affect people differently so choose wisely. Which type of music calms you? Which type creates a sense of joy? Which type makes you more productive during work hours? Music that calms you and makes you more productive are ideal while you work. Have that music playing in the background.
We are all working thru an unprecedented situation but we can make the best of this social distancing and working from home by putting a few of these tips to practice. Social distancing does not have to isolate you from the world and you can take advantage of the time by growing your skills and hobbies. At DCAProSearch, we have written many blogs with practical advice that you can start putting to practice while you have the time. As always, we invite you to give us a call to learn more about our Executive Search or Career Coaching Services. As we enter our 25th year of business, we have been here for you during good times and during trying times. History has shown that our nation will come back on top.