The past couple weeks have been a crazy time – millions are getting sick, cities are on the verge of shutdown, and firms are having all non-essential personnel work remotely. COVID-19 has certainly changed the way many are living and working all over the world. As my firm and project team have adjusted to working from home, I’ve compiled a list of best practices that have helped me maximize my productivity during this strange time.
1. Schedule daily check-ins
Normally, everyone on my team meets in person, and we chat about things that need to get done for the day. Now, with everyone working from home, we’ve had to pivot to daily morning check-ins. My team does a simple audio call over Zoom, but a video call is a great alternative as well. Anything that allows the team to stay connected and focus on the priorities at hand is a great way to kick off the day. It helps ground everyone and get them aligned on tasks and big picture goals, especially if the project has multiple moving parts or workstreams. After two weeks of having daily check-ins with my team, I’ve found that the routine helps foster a sense of normalcy.
2. Create a dedicated workspace
I will say that I am rather fortunate to live with two respectful and quiet roommates (who are also working from home). We’ve resigned to working in our respective bedrooms to not disturb one another and only occasionally do work in the common area. But I know times can be tough when there is limited space in the house, and it feels like everyone is on top of one another. Things are especially difficult when you throw young kids into the mix.
Your home now has to be your workplace as well – so treating it like one is extremely important. Simple things like changing out of your pajamas can help to break the mental association of your home as a place of leisure. I packed away the random trinkets that were on my cluttered desk and have setup there for the foreseeable future. A dedicated workspace helps limit the daily distractions that steal your focus during the day and makes your environment feel more “work-like”.
3. Establish boundaries
At first, my hours felt even longer now that I was working from home. I felt a pressure to constantly be available and online – the work never felt done. Eventually, I had a conversation with my team and realized they felt very similarly. The separation between worktime and off time had to be more clearly defined given that both are now being spent at home. Every late afternoon, my manager sets a time he thinks we can wrap up. Simply having an approximate time to log off by is very reassuring because whatever isn’t urgent or done can be picked up the next morning. Other teams may struggle with different types of boundaries or expectations, but the important thing is to voice your opinion and get clarity on the priorities at hand.
4. Determine the right form of communication
Finding the right balance and channel for communication with my manager was a struggle when the team first started working remotely. I couldn’t easily walk over to him in our team room like I could in the past. Instead, I had to consider if this was a quick question I could just ping him over Slack, or if it required scheduling some time on his calendar to get all my questions out of the way. Through some trial and error, the team eventually found its groove – we’re a casual team, and my manager is not very particular about hierarchy. What works for us is messaging one another on Slack when the question can be answered with a quick response and jumping on an impromptu Zoom call if the response is easier to talk through. It all depends on personal preference of team members and striking that balance from the start is an easy way to facilitate productive remote work.
5. Encourage non-work-related interactions
My firm is extremely big on happy hours in our office and COVID-19 wasn’t going to put a damper on our culture. From the very beginning, there were office wide happy hours scheduled on Zoom. There were themed ones where everyone would dress up and even happy hours where colleagues could share their pets with everyone. I didn’t attend all the informal events scheduled, but it was extremely comforting knowing there was a way to stay engaged with everyone. Seeing familiar faces after being stuck at home for so long helped make this dark time seem just a little brighter.
Conclusion
While I have had a relatively smooth transition from working at client site every week to working from home, I will admit it was quite daunting at first. It’s a new way of working that requires an adjustment period. Change to your daily routine may feel strange, but it will eventually become the norm. To all those whose daily life have not been hit as hard by COVID-19, I wish you the best.
Emily Ma is a recent graduate of the Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University where she specialized in marketing and business analytics.
Image: Pexels
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