Working From Home?

Here’s how to level up your remote work.

By Sara Madera

Thanks to COVID-19, we’ve all been working from home quite a while—and it seems likely to continue for the foreseeable future. Regardless of whether you like it or loathe it, we could all use a few tips to ensure we are making the most of the experience to master our time at home.

Level Up Your Schedule

By this point in the pandemic, I’ll bet you have a routine that works for you day-to-day. But are you accomplishing all you want to, or are you still fighting fires at work and at home? By taking a few minutes to evaluate your goals and what you’d like to accomplish on a weekly basis, you can move the needle on those larger projects. Plan out the tasks, and also plan out the other elements to ensure this can happen. For an hour of quiet time to write, you may need to order lunch in that day or ensure the kids are occupied with an activity. By taking the time to be thoughtful about your priorities and plan around them, you’ll be publishing that book or accepting a promotion within the year!

Level Up Your Weekends

When you are working from home, it’s tough to make the weekends feel different from the weekdays while spending all of your time within the same walls. One idea is to create a loose schedule for weekends, too, with home-based activities that can create a little excitement. When the restrictions were really tight, my family had themed weekends with games, snacks, and movies around a certain subject, like sciencefiction or nature, which gave us all something to look forward to. Alternatively, it’s a great time to try something new and out of the ordinary. Whether it’s trying a new recipe, learning to play a new sport, or exploring a new part of town, the change of pace will help the weekend to be restorative again.

Level Up Your Work Connections

One disadvantage of remote work is the lack of opportunities to network with your colleagues. Sure, there are Zoom coffees or drinks, but who wants to spend more time on the same video conferencing platform after a full day of meetings? If you want to create a bit of social time with your colleagues, perhaps try a different platform. Maybe someone can give a Facebook Live presentation in a private group, or the team learns a trick on Instagram, or maybe you give Bunch.live a go. Maybe you join a CareerSource activity. The opportunity to learn something new might give your colleagues a spark of fun and creativity!

Remote work can feel endless and tiring, but remember that you’ve been successfully managing it for nearly two years and you can handle a few more months. Any routine, even going to the office, can feel monotonous, so be sure to shake it up as needed. Check in with yourself and your goals to see how you can continue to level up your remote work life.

Looking for clarity on your goals? Connect with Sara, a career coach for working moms, at sara@plancreatively.com.