The unimaginable current global Covid-19 health crisis has interrupted the structure of what was once known as ‘business as usual’ little time ago.
These difficult times stress the importance of remaining connected, inspired, and communicative within the networks of our business community.
Working from home or remotely as we take on social distancing measures has become the new reality for most of us. Despite the inability for physical interactions, we must stay connected, productive and learn to embrace the power of digital technology during this critical moment in time for business.
The considerable changes to our work environment, routine, and structuring will pose challenges for all of us. Below are some universal recommendations on how you can adapt to these changes while staying effective, motivated and most importantly positive during these extraordinary times.
The beautiful gift of being human is that we’re resilient as a species. We’re adaptable by nature. – Tony Robbins
An Ideal Workspace
Creating an uplifting environment that suits your individual work style and needs is essential. A dedicated, quiet, and decluttered work space will allow for a clear state of mind to help you stay focused and make better work-related decisions.
Try to position your workspace near a window or a room filled with lots of natural light as this will allow you to feel more connected to your external environment, eliminating that ‘trapped’ isolated feeling and will also do wonders for your frame of mind. Mix it up a little, work in another room or outdoor space once a week to keep things interesting.
Who said you can’t have some fun whilst working at home? Play your favourite playlist on your device or choose one of many ‘Work from Home’ playlists that can be discovered on SPOTIFY to get you energised and in work zone.
It’s all about finding the calm in the chaos. – Donna Karan
Having a clear mind and clear space allows you to think and act with purpose. – Erika Oppenheimer
Dress For Success
Whilst working in your jim-jams in the comfort of your home sounds like a dream, you might find that rolling straight out of bed into your home office chair, NOT so productive. The beauty of working from home is the freedom to wear whatever you want to work, and sometimes with little or no thought on the impact it has on one’s mindset. If you’re dressed for bed, your brain will think its bed time, success of any kind requires the opposite of pyjama mode.
Dressing for the occasion has been psychology linked to positively influencing levels of motivation and performance, just like putting on your gym gear motivates you to exercise. Dressing up will sub-consciously boost your confidence and make you feel more focused and appear professional to your business team, especially during virtual meetings.
Dress how you want to be addressed. – Heels Agency
What you wear is how you present yourself to the world, especially today, when human contacts are so quick. Fashion is instant language. – Miuccia Prada
Track Your Time
Working from home calls for extra care on our management of time. Whether you’re a freelancer or a business employee, it is essential you set daily and weekly achievable work goals. Setting your own start and finish time each day that works for you will help you and your team stay rolling.
Keeping a morning ritual will help provide a sense of normality throughout all of this uncertainty and waking up early is also a good idea as this will give you a focused head start on your day before the stresses of life arise.
Time wasted in never found again. – Benjamin Franklin
The best way to make a dream come true is to wake up. – Anna Wintour
Daily To-Do Lists
Writing daily early morning to-do lists will increase your motivation through the day. Physically ticking each personal and work- related task off as you complete it will give you a sense of achievement.
Organisational programs such as GOOGLE CALENDER are effective in helping you schedule your week and allows you to set reminders for virtual team meetings and other important tasks.
Plan your work for today and every day, then work your plan. – Margaret Thatcher
To accomplish great things, we must not only act but also dream, not only plan but also believe. – Anatole France
Over-Communicate
Taking your digital communication to the next level during this isolation period will give you a sense of sanity, unity and purpose. Regularly communicating with your team via mobile, FaceTime or video conference calls will align and keep everyone on track. Given today’s unstable environment, the drastic changes we’re all facing, over-communicating may become the rule rather than the exception.
Applications such as ZOOM, GOOGLE HANGOUTS, & FACETIME are digital tools that can virtually connect you at any time.
Communication is the real work of leadership. – Nitin Nohria
Great communication begins with connection. – Oprah Winfrey
Like a human being, a company has to have an internal communication mechanism, a ‘nervous system’ , to coordinate its actions. – Bill Gates
Work-Life Balance
When you’re working from home, it’s easy to lose sight of ‘work’ time and ‘me’ time, this can sometimes lead to work overload and exhaustion. Taking regular short breaks between work tasks to make a coffee, feed the dog, facetime a friend, or do anything that makes you feel good will help you refocus when you get back to work.
Putting aside time to practice one form of self-care for at least 30 minutes a day such as doing an at-home workout, reading, or watching a show will help maintain your healthy work-life balance.
There is not a lot of separation between home and work life. – Cate Blanchett
You will never find time for anything. If you want time you must make it. – Charles Buxton
There is no such thing as work-life balance. Everything worth fighting for unbalances your life. – Alain de Botton
Seek A Mentor
Find a mentor you admire, who will challenge you to grow and expand your skills or use LinkedIn to connect with inspiring people digitally. A great mentor will be one who listens, disagrees, encourages and helps steer you in the right direction. It’s an ideal time to virtually connect with people, exchange ideas and gain some new insights or a new perspective.
Be the mentor you wish you had. – Demi Karan
The most important thing is to try and inspire people so that they can be great in whatever they want to do. – Kobe Bryant
Being a woman in business doesn’t come without challenges. My advice? Surround yourself with other supportive women that encourage you, share ideas, and get you motivated. – Jessica Alba
Support Local. Buy Local.
We are all struggling in one way or another during this precarious time, and now more than ever, it is imperative we support our local communities and businesses in any way possible.
Hospitality, Retail and many other sectors have been smashed due to government restrictions. The movement imposed to try and fight the spread of COVID-19, has led to thousands of job losses already with many more to come and this will impact all of us in time in one way or another.
Support your local businesses, help keep them alive, buy local!
We can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone. – Ronald Reagan
Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love. – Mother Teresa
Time and again, you’ve picked me up. I hope sometimes, I picked you up, too. – Barack Obama
Hope you enjoy the following insights from some of our most inspirational leaders.
If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself. – Henry Ford
Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships. – Michael Jordan
Things turn out best for those who make the best of how things turn out. – John Wooden
By putting the employee first, the customer effectively comes first by default. – Richard Branson
Change is the law of life. And those who look only on the past are certain to miss the future. – John F. Kennedy
You can take my factories, burn up my buildings, but give me my people and I’ll build the business right back again. – Henry Ford
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenges and controversy. – Martin Luther King Jr.
If you’re hurting, don’t be afraid to seek help you need! Speak to someone – it may just change your life. – Demi Lovato
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Stay positive, stay safe. – Heels Agency Team x
