In the wake of the Coronavirus we have been forced to experience life in a different way. As a digital marketing professional, working from home is thankfully not a transition for me. The global disruption the nationwide quarantine is causing inspired me to write about how I manage working from home, some key tools you’ll need to stay productive and some common misconceptions about making your own schedule.
We all have time
I think we are all discovering time is truly our most valuable resource. I’ve found that WFH allows me to maximize my working hours in order to free up time for personal projects and self care. In general working in an office setting means several hours of “appearing busy or productive.” The autonomy gained from WFH provides everyone with an opportunity to dedicate more time to their personal business ventures and creative outlets.
Now that the whole country is at home and jobs that no one ever thought could be remote now are, there has been a revelation around time management. One of my clients said this on a call this week,
“I never realized how many of my meetings could have been emails.”
Not so surprisingly, now that everyone is homebound they are managing their time much better and have become more efficient with their communications. Team member autonomy is often feared by managerial structures when in actuality, when implemented with the right teams autonomy can increase productivity.
Be an infinite learner
This concept remains true no matter the economic climate. I touched on being an infinite learner in a previous blog post, The New Business Landscape: A Millennial’s Guide to Climbing the Corporate Ladder, where I covered how important is to practice self awareness and learning while also teaching others on your team to maintain balance.
In the context of a quarantine, being laid off or even just a shift to a completely remote working schedule I think it is critical to maximize your time by learning something new or deepening your knowledge of something you already know. There are a myriad of free resources out there for all of us to dive deep into a passion we may have been putting off. I recently took an interest in portrait photography and editing so I have been taking online courses and doing solo photoshoots on hikes and in my apartment to test my skills. I think it is also important to be kind to yourself in uncertain times, maintaining productivity is essential yes, but practicing mindfulness, meditating and working out will maintain your resolve even when you feel like doing nothing.
Why getting dressed is important
One of the most important parts of having a successful work from home routine is getting dressed. I know it sounds silly but working in your pajamas, waking up later than usual or breaking your typical fitness routine can actually make you less productive. Investing in a home office set up with an ergonomic chair, standing desk and monitor will create an inspiring and creative environment for you to work in. Setting specific intentions for your work day by writing a list or using your team's project management tool will ensure you stay on task and reveal where you can take breaks throughout the day.
Capitalize on the opportunity
I think we all have an lightbulb moment when this infamous message from Netflix appears on our screens:
Despite my new found obsession with the office, once we see this seemingly judgemental message, we are suddenly motivated to be shit in life. With additional time to myself, now more than ever I am focusing on investing supplemental income. A goal of mine is to purchase an investment property in the next 3 years. I don’t know much about real estate but I have begun the process of reaching out to my network to gain the insight I need to develop an action plan that will ensure I have a financially secure present and future.
I think the most important thing to take away from this time is how critical multiple revenue streams are to our financial health in 2020 and beyond. A nationwide quarantine is nothing any of us expected or have experienced before but it is making us all hyper aware of how quickly the most critical elements of our lives can change. Most of the country is living paycheck to paycheck so the literal inability to go to a physical work location for even a few weeks could financially cripple most. Maintaining good spending and saving habits while generating income through alternative sources soften the blow of extreme unexpected life events like the Coronavirus.
I would love to hear how you are all coping with this downtime, please feel free to let me know in the comments or message me on social @blackdavismgmt on IG.