Working from home with the family
So, we are into week 3 of lockdown and it looks like we are all going to be working from home for a few more weeks at least. Here at By Day all of our consultants work flexibly around their life and commitments so the daily juggle is something they’ve been doing for some time. Whether you have children or you are a primary carer here are some tips to help manage the juggle so that it doesn’t seem a struggle!
Tip 1: Give yourself a break
Stress and anxiety of trying to do everything will cause you more frustration which will probably lead to causing some level of anxiety. Sometimes everything isn’t as perfect as social media makes out so don’t be hard on yourself and just do what you can each day. Setting yourself small goals and accepting whatever you achieve as an accomplishment will help you feel satisfied that you’ve achieved something.
Tip 2: Snacks and Screen time
If you need to make a call or have a client video conference, make sure everyone has snacks, drinks and their favourite programme, game or film. This way they are distracted, you can avoid constant questions and everyone is happy. If you have a partner try and make sure your calls don’t clash and then if they do need you the other person is available.
Tip 3: Split the days between you
Following on from the above; if there are two of you in the house, share the responsibility and discuss your work schedule before each week begins. Everyone’s work is just as important as each other so talk about when you have calls and deadlines and split the days into chunks so that each of you have some allocated time.
Tip 4: Never promise a deadline you could normally meet
So, you are asked for a typical ETA on a job and it should take you a day to complete. Now that you have much to juggle, you need to double it at least. Give yourself some room for change, if you finish it in the day then great job but if you don’t because there was a really important cartwheel you needed to see or someone just wanted to talk, then you have the time to fit it all in.
Tip 5: The 9 to 5 isn’t going to work for you
People at work will understand, they are probably trying to do the same as you. The typical working day isn’t going to be your normal office hours. Working during nap time or even when everyone has gone to sleep is prime time to catch up for an hour or two. If you block out an hour you still have time to relax and switch off after. If you are a morning person, get up at your usual time whilst everyone still sleeps and fit in an hour or two whilst everyone else rises. If you don’t want to send client emails during the night/early morning, write them out and use the schedule assistant in Outlook to send emails that you’ve drafted whilst you make breakfast or watch Joe Wicks jump around doing the bunny hop!
Tip 6: Claim some time for yourself
You will be used to working away from your children, having a quiet coffee or taking a walk during your lunch. This shouldn’t be a time for you to stop thinking about yourself too. Take half an hour or even an hour if you can, to do something for yourself and have a break, this will help you stay focussed and be more productive without causing overwhelm. If you have a call that doesn’t require being sat in front of your computer then take your air pods with you and have the call whilst on your daily exercise.
I hope these six tips help you to stay productive at home and if you need to resource up or have a project you need help with, send our team an email and we can arrange a call to discuss your requirements.