Greenhouse Guide to Working from home during COVID 19

So you’ve been told to work from home. Perhaps this is the first time in your career that you’ve worked from home for longer than a day or two. It’s only been two weeks and you’re already struggling to cope.

Well, in this article I’m going to give you all the tips and tricks to not only survive the lockdown but also to thrive in these difficult times.

The biggest problem I hear is that the structure and routine of your day is now gone, but if you think about it, if you worked in an open plan office then you didn’t really have much control over anything. Now you get the chance in your own environment to structure everything as you want it. This is the perfect opportunity to put in place your own structure and routine which ultimately may make you even more efficient at your job.

My key recommendations are to effectively structure your day and also manage your energy levels.

How you start your day is key. Do you like to exercise or get out into nature (local park) or do you prefer to meditate or listen to music? Choose what works for you. In these times I would advise not using this time to look at the news as it will probably only distract you and stress you out and this is not how you want to start your work day.

When you structure your daily regime, you need to start by clearly differentiating between workspace and home space and then being strict and consistent with your timetable. So start at a fixed time, say 9am, have lunch at a fixed time and then finish each day at a specific time.

Keep that work space clear. So if you are using the kitchen table, for example, then before you sit down to work, clear the space. Your physical surroundings can really impact on your capacity to focus mentally. So it can be worth spending a couple of minutes before you start to work, clearing the space around you until you feel ‘OK, this is good. This feels clear for me’.

The next thing is to get rid of all distractions. Ask friends and family not to disturb you. We need to take ownership of our information consumption and our communications. Because it can very easily get too much to handle. So we need to put boundaries around it all. 

If you get notifications on your phone, take them off. Likewise with your laptop. Get that stuff off. Take back control of your time, your attention, your energy, by not being always on and always available. 

If necessary, you can get dressed for your role or just stay in your PJ’s and get mentally into your headspace with a rousing pep talk – you can find many of these online.

And then get started. So some people like to do their deep focused work first. Others need a bit more time to ease themselves into their work and so doing some easier, lighter work can be best to start with. And also it depends on your mood and energy that day. 

Next is the timing structure of your day. It’s all about harnessing what is called your ultradian rhythm. 

It’s a natural biological rhythm that we all have that plays out throughout your day. So most of us know that when we sleep we sleep in a cycle of REM and non-REM sleep. So the active dream state and then the non-dreaming deep relaxation sleep state. That same rhythm goes on throughout the day. And during our waking hours it plays out to a rhythm of 80-120 minutes of active energy and then 20 minutes of resting. 

We all need to be doing this. It’s crazy that we try and operate like machines. We simply don’t get enough rest throughout our day which is why so many of us burn out. So this a great time to start learning how to go with your natural energy flow.

When you plug into that natural rhythm, you will find that you have a lot more energy throughout the day, you’ll be able to focus for longer, you’ll be more productive, smarter, and you’ll be able to think more clearly. You’ll be more in flow. 

If you try to push through that and ignore your natural rhythm of active - rest - active - rest then you’ll be exhausted by the end of the day and in the long term it is probably going to end in burn out.

Once your day is done it is important to down tools and step away from the work environment. This may be just closing up your laptop or it may mean moving to a different room. And then on the weekend keep your tools away. Use your weekends for rest, play, fun, switching off. Just because your work now lives in your home, don’t let it invade your home. 

My next recommendation is to take it easy on yourself. You’ll have a lot going on in your head – stress, anxiety, financial concerns. Along with possibly having young family members at home all day. I actually think that right now, if you can, don’t do more than 4-5 hours of work a day and that includes breaks. I start at 9.30am and finish at 3pm and then I’m with my son who is 4 so then I have that job until he goes to bed at 9pm.

This is a time where we are being called to go inwards and to be quieter and still. This is not a time to fill our lives with more busy activity and doing. 

Another very important point for your physical and mental well being is to get a good quality night’s sleep every night. Try and resist the temptation of staying up late into the night watching Netflix. It’s just as important to have a night time routine when you’re based at home as it is to have a daytime routine. Consistency is key to both. If you struggle with falling asleep at night then try staying away from blue light (phones and computer screens) for at least an hour before bedtime, take a hot bath filled with Epsom salts each evening and also try a valerian herbal tea before you retire for the evening.

There you have it. My tips to a successful transition to home based working. Some of the practices you put in place now will easily translate to when you go back into the workplace. Use this time wisely to establish new routines and remember to go easy on yourselves.

Written by the Greenhouse team inspired by life design coach Selina Barker's tips on Working from Home during Coronavirus which you can find over on instagram @selinathecoach 

You can also listen to her podcast episode this week with Emma Gannon on Ctrl Alt Delete on 'How to Sane When Working from Home'