Regardless what the coronavirus and all the nonsense surround it ultimately comes to for the time being many of us are stuck indoors. This is an article by Catherine Meisner who is an article writer at Luckyassignments.com and Gumessays.com about what to do in the meantime. She is passionate about organization and productivity and also takes great interest in social media marketing. She is currently all about learning new skills during the coronavirus quarantine.
The coronavirus epidemic is a destabilizing time for everyone, but it’s also a great time to take stock of your life and habits. If you’re working from home or even unemployed, suddenly you have a lot more control over your own schedule, which might motivate you to be more productive than ever. Here are a few tips on how to make the most of this time, whilst also taking care of yourself.
Make Space(s)
If you’re suddenly and unexpectedly working from home, you may already be aware that your home space is not set up for working. Making a space in which you can work to the best of your ability is the first essential step in being more productive at home.
However, it’s not just about setting up a home office. Different types of work require different environments. You may want to start your day with some yoga, then work at the computer for the day before unwinding with some cross stitch; not all of these are best suited to a desk and an office chair. Think about what you want to achieve and create different spaces with them in mind. Moving from one to another will give you a moment of refreshment that will help you stay motivated.
Also, no matter what your spaces are for, make sure they’re not cluttered. Joy London, a lifestyle writer at Writinity and Researchpapersuk, advises that you “keep clutter out of your productive areas as much as you can. Everything in a space should be there to enhance the practice of one particular activity or emotion, any disruption of that will distract you from your current task. Your home office is for to-do lists and calendars, your meditation nook is for blankets and cushions, and never the twain shall meet.”
Have A Routine
Just because you’re not travelling into the office anymore, doesn’t mean you should lose that sense of routine. If we know we have finite time in the day it’s far easier to organize our time to fit those tasks. Without the artificial structure of the commute, you’ll have to create your own.
“First thing’s first, get ready for the day,” says Michael Barber, a productivity blogger at Last Minute Writing and DraftBeyond. “If, on a normal office day, you’d have breakfast, shower and get into a suit, try that in your home office day. Maybe even lace up your shoes for when you step into the home office, or whatever other little details it takes to remind yourself you’re not at home anymore, you’re at work.”
Each morning, think of one or two things you want to have achieved by that evening. This can be anything, but try not to set your goals too high, to begin with. Being quarantined is a huge adjustment for most people, so be kind to yourself by recognizing small achievements. Pick a few small tasks to complete and reward yourself for doing so.
Make Time For Yourself
This brings us to an important point: as much as being productive is a great goal to have, make sure you have to relax and reward yourself. Those who work from home have long reported difficulty in “switching off” from work even before the quarantine. As you don’t have the physical distance between your work and home space, you’re less inclined to leave your work behind and have time for yourself.
Allowing for the rules of the quarantine in your local area, try to set apart some time to be outside. Whether this is a jog in the morning, a walk around the block in your lunch break, or just sitting near an open window with a cup of tea, reconnecting to the outside world is a great way to recharge your batteries.
This is also where your spaces come in really useful. At the end of the day, leave your work things behind, change back into your loungewear and unwind. You can still use this time for productivity — learning a new skill, or practicing an old one — but don’t pressure yourself into doing so. Taking care of your mental health is just as important as watching your physical health right now, and putting too much pressure on yourself to perform is a surefire way to overload yourself and hurt your productivity even more.
