3 Productivity Experts Share Tips on Working During a Pandemic
Working during a pandemic is a phrase most people never thought they’d have to say.
Work itself has become unpredictable with troves of people either without jobs or having to figure out how to work from home — and people are now dealing with new and competing priorities occupying their minds on a day-to-day basis.
From homeschooling their children, to waiting in long lines at the grocery store to buy essential supplies, to figuring out where in their bedroom is the best place to take a video call, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the stress of it all.
We asked experts in the productivity space to share their tips on how best to manage their work lives and home lives during this time.
What advice would you give to someone who is struggling to balance their obligations amidst this crisis?
Deb Allison Lee, CPO
Digital Productivity Coach, D. Allison Lee LLC
It's important to remember that you're not just working from home. You're also changing your routine, learning new ones, and attempting to do it all well all under the veil of a global pandemic. So, recognize that things won't always be easy, you will make mistakes, and it's a process.
The good news is that there are some simple things you can do to help your days go more smoothly. One of those things is simple and fairly easy to do: Write.
When you want to stay focused (especially when things feel overwhelming), the act of writing can bring clarity and a sense of calm to your day.
Include writing in your day by jotting down your:
Emotions. You may need to acknowledge emotions that are coming up before you can do anything else. Writing down how you're feeling can be very cathartic and calming.
Top priorities for the day. Pick up to 3 tasks, rank them in order of importance, and write time frames next to each one (or put them on your digital calendar or task management app). Consider writing this list the night before so that it's fresh and clear in your mind the next day. And, remember to refer back to it when things get chaotic or you get distracted.
Accomplishments. We often think about the tasks that we didn't get to and lose sight of all of what we accomplished. At the end of the day, write a "Ta-da List" or "Done List" to show your progress. This can be very motivating.
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Marija Kojic
Productivity and time management researcher and writer
Don’t forget about self-care while working from home. Under these circumstances, it may get even easier to work past your work hours, considering that you no longer have a change of location to mark a clear division between your workplace and your private life — so, it may get easier to overwork yourself to burnout or other serious conditions. To help avoid that, each morning before you start working for the day, create a feasible schedule, i.e. define clear time blocks for when you’ll:
focus on work (e.g. write “deep work” in your calendar and define specific 2-3 hour time blocks for it)
take breaks (e.g. set regular breaks every 2-3 hours and block at least 10 minutes for each)
You can also set time blocks in your calendar for meditation, workouts, quality time with loved ones through Skype sessions, etc. By deciding on the exact times you’ll spend on your work tasks, your personal “tasks”, and your errands, you’ll strike a healthy work/life balance and ensure you have time for everything you need or want to do."
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Lauretta Ihonor
Career strategist and founder of The Ambition Plan
I would say have a clear start and finish to the day. When working from home, it's easy to work endlessly, which can have a huge impact on your mood and wellbeing. In fact, the stress it causes can often sneak up on you and you only realize it when you've become super stressed, moody and physically ill. A great way to create that clear boundary is to use a different room for work and a different room for play. Once the working day is over, leave that room and don't return until the next day. Doing so signals clearly to your brain that work is over.