If you are amongst those who are being counted as “essential,” how you work and live is been compressed into a single place and space. We all are living in a different world than three weeks ago, with the situation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.
People live in a radically different reality as millions of Americans have lost their jobs pushing many into the welfare system. The categorization of essential brings with it a massive change to how we work because many people must now work from their homes. This change brings with it equal measures, rewards, and challenges.
Many people wished they could ditch their commutes and work in their pajamas. Now there is no option, and it is not that simple. The pandemic has closed universities, public schools, and daycares. You are not alone; you must now work in the same place with your spouse and your kids all confined to the inside of your residence.
Whether you are a college student or a project manager for a firm, we must adapt to find a way to be productive during this time of remote work. Noah Miles, UW’s Japanese professor, says he uses an hourly system to keep him focused and uses zoom to “keep from losing touch [with students]”
The concept of remote work is not new; in fact, the practice has become more and more popular for many contractors and others as telecom technologies have increased in reach and stability. As such, online publications have laundry lists of articles that list off ideas and strategies for being more productive when you are working from home.
“This online setting will cause online [classes and work] to increase; things won’t go back completely.” Said Miles believing that many students and employees all over the world, will continue to work from home.
Entrepreneur.com offers tips like “move around your house” or taking a “walking meeting” on your phone. These tips feel cliché and tired. However, one idea that holds a lot of promise is the “Zero-Based Schedule,” instead of just scheduling your work or school-related activities; you put everything you plan on doing into your calendar.
Whether it is a zoom meeting, your lunch, or gym time, even that movie you planned to watch with your significant other, it all gets thrown into your calendar app or planner. The idea is not to let unrelated activities distract you by scheduling both works and play into your day.
Entrepreneur.com claims that the zero-based scheduling method will “Having less ‘open space’ on your calendar can protect your free time and increase your productivity.”
Many new sources for methodologies are being shared now that the lockdowns brought on to combat the pandemic, the Art of Charm, a personal development podcast interviewed Kevin Kruse stressed that we should continue doing those morning routines that you were doing before the lockdowns began.
Miles admits that he is not all too strict with his time management, but because he is aware of all this extra time, he still uses it to get his work done and to use the time to grow, citing his previous online experience as helpful to the current work conditions.
Kruse also placed importance in dressing the same way you would when you physically went to work. Keeping you in the same mental state you are in when you are at the office or the classroom.
Most, if not all people are supposed to work within teams at work, as such Kruse condemns the open door policy as it “keeps you from getting to focus on deep work, it causes too many distractions,” instead he advocates for scheduling time to “create, collaborate and connect” much in line with the Zero-based schedule.
The thread that permeates the different work from home prescriptions is time management, how to remain on task while minimizing distractions. But, what if you are in a space such as a house with other people who are vying for your attention? Boundaries. Entrepreneur.com advises its readers to create a space where you will work and make it distraction-free.
