If your home walls are starting to make you feel claustrophobic as you count down the days to go back to the office, you may be in for stormy weather. Unfortunately, it appears that working from home is here to stay.
Margaret Chamblee, a licensed pharmacist with extensive direct sales experience, recommends these seven ways to help adjust your sights, stay connected, and make the best of continuing to work from home:
1. Establish a solid morning routine
If waking up every weekday morning to walk five seconds over to your home office is not cutting it anymore, try establishing a solid morning routine. A morning routine is great for getting your body and mind ready for the day and helps keep you on track. Find activities that you will be excited to wake up and do, and you will be more likely to stick to it.
2. Dress for work
One of the most tempting things to do when working from home is to stay in your pajamas. After five days of the same clothes you both work and sleep in, the days start to run together. Keep your mornings fresh and mentally put yourself into work-mode with your attire. Get dressed as if you were going into the office, and change into comfy clothes when your workday is over to help unwind.
3. Replace the commute
Are you missing your morning commute playlist or podcast that often surpassed coffee on tough mornings? Replace the time you would use to drive to work with a walk or run while listening to music.
4. Practice "ten touches"
To help stay consistently connected remotely, integrate the "ten touches" strategy into your workweek schedule. Reach out to at least ten people every week to keep relationships strong and supportive.
5. Start a virtual book-club
Working from home can make a social hour at the office seem like a distant memory. However, there are still ways to stay social while practicing social distancing. Get involved with others virtually by starting a book club within your company or invite friends to a Zoom happy hour.
6. Alternate duties
Are you tired of Zoom meetings interrupting your workflow every hour? Increase your productivity by blocking out time on your weekly schedule to talk to others and guarantee uninterrupted personal work time. When you are ready to change things up, alternate times during the week to switch up your tasks.
7. Host virtual dinner
While many parents struggle to balance family time while working from home, others living alone have a different problem. For many single individuals staying at home, going from working alone to eating dinner alone can be emotionally draining. Hosting a virtual dinner with co-workers can be uplifting and necessary to keep sane during isolated times.
About Margaret Chamblee
Margaret Chamblee is a licensed pharmacist with direct sales, marketing, and management experience. Margaret is a commendable wife and mother of three, balancing personal life with her highly dynamic career. She is purposeful, energetic, articulate, and fosters an impressive work ethic. Her accomplishments both personally and professionally are a true testament to her resiliency, perseverance, and ability to multitask and remain resolute.
