Hello there !
It’s been a while. I am glad to be here. I’m glad that you’re here too.
Surprisingly, the curve is flattening and there is a bit of normalcy to routine slowly getting back. It is time to start planning on how we can productively get on with the remainder of the year and make the most out of it. I hope that Start up Suite is part of the plan Why you ask? Here is why: https://www.startupsuite.app/2020/08/21/remote-work-improved-via-startup-suite/
In short, we have something that works for you, and we are the best at being here for you!
You probably know by now know what we’re doing today if you visited the link, but just so that we are on the same level, I hinted that I would speak about how to get out of bed and how to stay out of bed when it seems to call your name 😂 especially for work-from-home teams, and remote work teams. So here goes my few tips!
Unlike people who have to go to the office, a remote worker does not have to dress up and leave the house. The advantage they have over you is that while they prepare, dress up and commute their mind is shifting and preparing for productivity. You on the other hand, have to create this shift. One of these ways is to create a mourning routine that works for you. This could range from meditation, preparing breakfast, listening to a podcast, a TED talk, an Engage video exercise, to just tune your mind. Use the commute time you would have used to have a morning routine.
Please get out of bed and make it then pick and slowly create a space in your house where you can work. If you have the ability to have a separate room to have your work station, you are at an advantage. If not, that’s alright you can work on your bed, by on your bed I mean one that is already made. 😂🤭. Don’t be smart around this one. This also helps your mind tune itself into the awareness that something important is going to happen.
Write a to-do list on things you plan to accomplish during the day. This will help you plan for your day and allocate time to work on them. Startup Suite has a place where you can update all your tasks and a task board that helps in visualizing the tasks for you and your team.Writing these tasks down helps in conceptualizing the steps to take to complete the tasks. Furthermore, there is a feeling of accomplishment that comes when at the end of the day, you can look at all you have done.
Now you are on your desk, or work station no? Work now? It is time to put a boundary between your phone and yourself. I read recently that your mind rewards you with a dope hormone for getting new information, and being active on everything new. This is probably the reason why people are always on their devices. If it is not your phone, it is your laptop or desktop on social media, with a WhatsApp tab active. How could we even compare switching between your social media pages, getting on top of trending topics, passing by our favourite tea master’s stories on IG, that new wakurugenzi video, 10 almost near death experiences video, top 10 most dangerous dinosaurs video, a nat geo documentary on undiscovered underworld to work?
You have to find ways to focus on your work which may otherwise seem boring compared to every other thing on the internet. This can be putting your phone on silent, do not disturb mode for a couple of hours, keeping the phone away from your workstation or switching it off.
Reward yourself for tasks completed and take healthy breaks in between your work. Walk around, hang with the kids in the house, Stretch, read a chapter of a book. Ensure that you time these breaks. Ideally let this be off your workstation. This helps you to avoid burning out and allows for longer hours of productivity.
Another important thing remote workers fail to do is create boundaries between work and life. Most of the time, you will find yourself working more than 8 hours because of the nature of how you space your work. Ensure that you set times that allow you to rest. Rest is as important as work and it is a skill most people need to learn. Rest is not lazy. Rest is self care. Rest is not shifting your mind to something else, say move from work to playing a game or even reading. Someone lied to millenials and somehow rest is losing out. It isn’t. Set work times and off times too. For your own sake. You will thank yourself later.
I would advise you to find time to catch up with people. Call people, meet your friends and family if you don’t live with them. Being alone can be overwhelming. Sometimes your own thoughts can depress you. Find time to spend time with people that light you up.
Next blog topic ? Maybe be there next time to find out ?
Take care !
Add a Comment