Gaurav Bhagat is the very definition of “self-made, he was dabbling in entrepreneurship even when he was 16 and formally started his first company, Consortium Gifts, at the age of 19 years. After having garnered overwhelming success in the business sphere, Gaurav then turned his attention towards training large corporates, business owners, and working professionals so that they can achieve their goals and 10X success as well. Towards this purpose, he launched the Gaurav Bhagat Academy in 2018, it’s an organization dedicated to training and mentoring businesses and individuals, so that they can enjoy the 10X life.
Within just a year, the Covid-19 pandemic has brought the global economy to its knees. From startups to well-established MNCs, every business has suffered a setback. As the lockdowns were imposed all over the world to contain the pandemic, flourishing business organizations had no choice, but to close their offices and adopt the work-from-home (WFH) model. While WFH was something that was frowned upon in the pre-pandemic era, it has now become a lifesaver for businesses. However, for the employees, WFH comes with several challenges and many workers are struggling to maintain their productivity and sanity.
Let us take a look at some of the steps that you can take to stay active and productive while working from home.
Create an office space in your home
Just because you’re working from home doesn’t mean you should work from your bed. If you want to avoid becoming lethargic, lazy, and unproductive, you need to create an office space in your house.
Make sure that it’s an isolated corner where you can work in peace without being disturbed by a myriad of other things that might be happening around you. Also, just because you are at home, doesn’t mean you’re available to take care of household chores all the time. Dedicate your office hours to your work and talk with your family members. Respectfully explain to them why you can’t be running chores during your office hours.
Also, make sure that the spot you pick receives an ample amount of lighting during the day. Dimly lit areas can make you feel dull and lazy pretty quickly. Set up a desk if possible and stack it with everything that you might need while working. Having to get up now and then disrupts the workflow.
Remember to take a break
Taking a break from work is just as important as working diligently. Just because you’re at your home doesn’t mean you do not need to take any breaks. If your office offers lunch and tea breaks then take them. Constantly working can also sometimes affect your productivity. Taking regular breaks will help you relax and realign your focus.
Avoid the sedentary lifestyle
Staying at home can cause you to fall victim to a sedentary lifestyle – which is bad for your personal as well as professional life. So wake up early and dedicate some time to doing physically engaging activities like Yoga, calisthenics, aerobics, or whatever you might be interested in. It will keep you happy, healthy, and energized. Even while you’re working, taking small 30 second breaks where you close your eyes and move away from the computer screen. Constantly staring at the screen can also make you feel tired and exhausted.
Maintain a time table and stick to it
Your office must require you to put in a certain amount of hours per day. While WFH offers a degree of flexibility – allowing you to start late and work extra – you should create a timetable and stick to it. A haphazard way of working will lower your productivity without you even realizing it. Set up a certain amount of time for all the activities that you do daily. Ask yourself these questions: When should I wake up? How long do I need to exercise and when? When should I take my lunch?
These questions will help you prepare a time table that will save you plenty of time that you would have wasted idling and help you maintain the work-life balance.
Dress for the job you want; dress for the job you do
Working from home comes with all sorts of comforts. Since you don’t necessarily have to show your face to your employer or your clients daily, you might feel tempted to work exclusively in your pajamas. However, let us warn you, it’s a bad idea. You might reason that it makes you feel comfortable and allows you to work better, but at the end of the day, both of us know that it’s not true.
As a professional, you must look sharp, regardless of whether or not you might be meeting anyone. It prepares you psychologically to take your job more seriously and allows you to be more productive. Don’t think it’s true? Conduct your experiment and the results will tell you a different.
Physical distancing, not social distancing
Covid-19 pandemic isn’t just a threat to people’s physical health; it has put mental health at risk, for all as well. The very phrase ‘social distancing’ sounds depressing. Instead, we should worry about physical distancing, make sure that we socialize regularly. Human beings are social animals, to make them stay away from communities, social gatherings, interact with their friends, where humans can be themselves, can be taxing on the mind.
It is more important to socialize right now than it ever was. Even though we can’t meet our friends, family, and colleagues face-to-face, technology has enabled us to stay constantly in touch with each other virtually through video calls, texts, and video conferencing. The company executives should try to conduct regular informal meetings, where the employees can interact with each other freely. This will not only benefit people individually, but will also enable to develop teamwork – which is essential for success of the company and individual growth.