With the recent happenings with regards to Covid19, people are being compelled to stay at home and even work from home if needed. While some may be happy because its an opportunity to stay off work, some people would still have to work from home as they must ensure business continuity. For big companies, this is the period where flexible working conditions will be tested to see how effective people can work from anywhere without necessarily reporting to work. As much as we can, we can equally give in our best so when this is over, flexible working conditions would be accepted as part of working terms.

For small businesses, it is also an opportunity to look at how we can use social media effectively in this era to improve our work.

Personally, working from home is not new to me. This has been me in the last 2 years working from home. I have managed 2 to 3 clients, planned events and other projects all from working from home. People have asked me how I survive and I tell them it is self-discipline. You need alot of that to work from home with all the distractions such as seeing your bed next to you and feeling like jumping on it to, opening the fridge about 9 times before the day ends to getting to the kitchen to fix lunch and dinner are all distractions that could slow down your work efficiency from home.

So, here are a few tips on how I have been doing this for the last 28 months:

•  I have a designated office space in my house where I work from. A desk and a chair. I would actually get ready, dress up and go to work.  My work officially starts from 10am to 12:30 where I break to fix lunch and return at 2pm. It may be earlier if I already have lunch fixed ahead. I break again at 4:30 to fix dinner and return at 9pm to 11pm. I work more late because I am nocturnal and my brain functions better at night. That’s more like my routine. Within that period too, I get to call friends & family and catch up.
• I schedule all my meetings within a week in a day so I can take care of all that when I step out.  I like my meetings on Tuesdays & Thursday. This way I have the other days to be more efficient. I don’t have to be running out everytime I have a meeting or an event. I schedule all that and do them in a day or 2 within the week.
• Since my work mostly requires internet, I opted for a Broadband Fibre device which connects all my devices so I don’t have to be spending on different networks for my laptop, phone or other devices.
• I take a break when I am not in the mood to do anything serious like work. Either go for a walk, call a friend or do an activity. I will likely go for swimming(that was before Covid19). Sometimes you need to take your mind off. Its ok to do that sometimes. Don’t put yourself through loads of pressure. Just take it easy. Working from home also makes it more flexible. Don’t be to o hard on yourself.
• I schedule meetings with my assistants at least once a week to align, improve our work practice, bond and update each other on what’s been happening and what will be will be working on in the following week. We usually do that at Co-working spaces or Cafe’s or Lounges.
• As a PR Specialist, a lot of my work require writing (typing) press releases, news stories, articles, working on plans, developing strategies, being on long calls with clients, managing social media accounts, sending and responding to emails, coordinating placements and engaging the media. All these could be done anywhere in the world as long as I have a Laptop, Mobile Phone and a solid internet connectivity.
• And finally, all these require self discipline to achieve. You will be tempted to do all sort of things but you need to comport yourself…lol in order to be efficient.

I hope you find these tips helpful while working from home. You can leave a comment below on how you are coping or plan to cope in this new era. More importantly, this has become necessary for our own well-being and safety. Trust me, you can stay home and work too.

Photocredit: Inside Selina Beb Shop. Shot by Faithfulspirit Photography