{"id":2326,"date":"2020-03-18T19:00:03","date_gmt":"2020-03-18T19:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dynamicteamsolutions.org\/?p=2326"},"modified":"2020-03-18T19:00:03","modified_gmt":"2020-03-18T19:00:03","slug":"managing-the-new-normal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.dynamicteamsolutions.com\/index.php\/2020\/03\/18\/managing-the-new-normal\/","title":{"rendered":"Managing the New Normal:Working from Home Amid COVID 19"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Be careful what you wish for.\u00a0 Many have long wanted more flexibility or work-life balance.\u00a0 To sleep in or avoid traffic. Well, now you have it.\u00a0 But all kidding aside, this change presents both a new challenge and an opportunity to make the case for this shift in work-life balance.\u00a0 Below are several ideas for making this shift a successful one.\u00a0 And for those who are not thrilled with working from home, whether it\u2019s due to a greater feeling of stress, isolation, or perhaps the challenges of managing your out-of-school kids, there are some ideas for making this shift one that can work for you too.<\/p>\n

1. Make Remote-working Work.<\/strong> If you\u2019ve been wanting to work remotely, this is your chance to prove it can work.\u00a0 Without a commute, distractions, or interruptions from other employees, you may be more efficient than ever.\u00a0 If you can demonstrate that efficiency is as good \u2013 or better \u2013 when you work from home, you are likely going to be successful in persuading your employer to allowing you that flexibility after the crisis is over.\u00a0 If you have children at home, this may indeed mean more \u2018off-hours\u2019 efforts.\u00a0 Don\u2019t fake it.\u00a0 Be clear about what changes will make your situation successful.\u00a0 Check out this page for plenty of helpful ideas for keeping kids busy and engaged<\/a>.<\/p>\n

2. Demonstrate your accomplishments.<\/strong> Whether requested or not, create an End Of Day\/End Of Week<\/a> document to demonstrate your competency and ability to be responsible for getting the work done.\u00a0 See my companion article<\/a> on how employers can manage this workplace change and use the EOD\/EOW for tracking individual progress<\/em>.\u00a0 Send the EOD\/EOW to your direct supervisor each week (or day if requested) to demonstrate what you\u2019ve accomplished and ensure your company see\u2019s your value, even when they don\u2019t see you.<\/p>\n

3. Get organized with your day.<\/strong> Enforce your own work hours and schedule.\u00a0 It may be necessary to set times when you\u2019ll check email, voicemail, work on a project, collaborate with a colleague, etc.\u00a0 By creating set guidelines, and any necessary boundaries, you\u2019ll know that you\u2019ve accomplished what you set out to do.\u00a0 Then, at the end of the day, step away from your computer or phone and allow yourself the downtime of being \u201coff\u201d work.<\/p>\n

One hurdle is managing your work, the other is coping with the sudden isolation which may otherwise envelope you.\u00a0 Here are some other ideas that tap into the rest of your work-life balance needs:<\/p>\n

4. Get outside.<\/strong> We may not be able to congregate, but we still have the freedom to go outside. And, being outside is scientifically proven<\/a> to be good for us. \u00a0If you find being out of the office leaves you feeling socially isolated, your \u2018balance\u2019 may come in the form of getting outside and smiling at or saying hello to those you pass.\u00a0 Regardless, of the reason, make time to take a walk around a local park, garden in your own yard, or just step into the sunshine to stretch. Give yourself a minimum of 30 minutes each day for this effort, whether it\u2019s all at once or in smaller segments.\u00a0 These are essential breaks to stretch your body, breathe the fresh air, get some essential Vitamin D from the sun, and to remember you are human first.<\/p>\n

5. Find Connection.<\/strong> It\u2019s not easy right now, but you probably have a neighbor who is similarly healthy and isolated \u2013 make time to check in on each other, share a meal, or talk.\u00a0 If you live with others, set aside a special time at least twice a week where you do something enjoyable together.\u00a0 If you have children, make this a daily commitment.\u00a0 It may be a movie, cooking, a board game, etc.\u00a0 Ideally, the time should ensure that you are feeling pleasant emotions, smiling, or laughing.\u00a0 If you have a pet, dote on them a bit more.\u00a0 Or, consider fostering an animal from your local rescue group or animal shelter.\u00a0 For many this will be the perfect time to bring a pet into the family, even if it is a temporary measure PetFinder.com<\/a> can connect you with local resources for both cat and dog foster and adoptions.<\/p>\n

6. Work-life balance.<\/strong> Guess what?\u00a0 You can now do laundry or other intermittent tasks while you\u2019re at work. \u00a0You have the space and privacy to do yoga or meditate at lunch. Depending on your ability to multi-task this can be a boon \u2013 or it can cause you to feel exhausted.\u00a0 Monitor how you use your time.\u00a0 Be sure you are putting work first, during work hours.\u00a0 But, if you are able to take care of yourself at the same time, you\u2019ve made this new challenge your own success story.<\/p>\n

Be well, do well, succeed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Be careful what you wish for.\u00a0 Many have long wanted […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2329,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.dynamicteamsolutions.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2326"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.dynamicteamsolutions.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.dynamicteamsolutions.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.dynamicteamsolutions.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.dynamicteamsolutions.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2326"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dev.dynamicteamsolutions.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2326\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.dynamicteamsolutions.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2329"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.dynamicteamsolutions.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.dynamicteamsolutions.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2326"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.dynamicteamsolutions.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}