Losing your sense of time? You are not alone.
It has been the third Covid-19 lockdown in Malaysia and this time you could not let this pandemic mess up your working from home schedule... AGAIN (for some of you). Although remote work has existed for decades, it's not ideal for everybody. Not all homeworkers successfully negotiate the social, personal, temporal, and physical transitions between the boundaries of home and work. There are potential difficulties and tensions that come with homeworking. By being aware of the challenges of remote work, employees and their managers can better prepare for the transition and hopefully manage the inevitable obstacles.
Managing your time during the COVID-19 pandemic means the lines between the office, home, and your kids’ schoolwork now blur together — or might not exist at all. The following tips will surely develop your daily and/or weekly work timetables or schedules.
1. Maintain Regular Hours
No more setting the alarm for 6 am. No more sitting in your cubicle all day, your only escape a measly hour for lunch. You can set your own hours and work when you feel like it. Freedom is yours! Sounds appealing, right?
But it doesn’t work that way!
Just as the name suggests, flexible work hours (also known as “flextime”) are flexible. However, that does not mean "normal business hours” change its flexibility. When you have set hours, you know when you’re supposed to work and when you’re free to pursue other interests or spend time with your family. You also need to maintain your wake and sleep cycle as working from home in many ways reduces the need for such a rigid bedtime and wake-up time, in part because you no longer have a commute to contend with.
Set your workdays and hours and stick to them. In most cases, that either means maintaining regular business hours or basing your work hours on the schedule maintained by your spouse or kids. Not only does a conventional schedule make you more productive, but it also allows you to spend time with the people you care about.
2. Kick-Off That Morning Routine
Deciding you'll sit down at your desk and start work at a certain time is a thing. For many people, working from home, or ‘WFH’, has also come to mean ‘WFB’ – working from bed. Getting dressed and commuting to an office has been replaced by splashing water on your face and cracking open a computer as you settle back under your blanket. Well, but turning your mattress into your office can trigger a slew of health problems, both psychological and physical. You do not want that!
You want a kickstart. A morning routine that guides you into the chair. What is it in your morning routine that indicates you're about to start work? It might be making a cup of coffee. It might be returning home after a jog. Wake up early and get dressed, even if it does not need to be formal, but the simple act of changing clothes serves as a signal that it’s time to wake up and get things done.
A routine can be more powerful than a clock at helping you get started each day. Not everyone who works from home follows a set nine-to-five schedule. You might have a "getting started" routine at another time of day.
3. Include Breaks in Your Schedule
Why you still need to take breaks and vacation while working from home? It is important to take time to recharge and make the most of your downtime even though your office is no more than a few steps away from your bed.
Make sure you give yourself adequate time during the day to walk away from the computer screen and phone. Be sure to get up and step away from your desk when you take a break. Don’t count browsing the internet or working on personal items as a break from work. A lunch break and two 15-minute breaks are important to keep in mind as you plan your work for the day. Plan for them and take them. It’s important mentally and physically as you need to stand, stretch and walk around throughout the day in the same way you would in the office.
It’s an easy pattern to fall into, but over time, not taking time away from work can harm your creativity and productivity. You can reclaim time in your schedule—and sanity in your workday—with effective time management. A change of scenery will clear your mind and get your blood flowing. If you can step outside for a quick walk, all the better.
Choose to See Change as Exciting
Stay flexible, embrace change, and think of the transition to your home office as an opportunity to create a healthier WFH experience. If you find that a tool isn't working out for you, find a different one. There’s more from Recruit Hero to help you, home-based workers, just stay tuned for the next updates! Also, for those who are whether already job searching or are newly laid off because of coronavirus, good news for you! We provide you the resources you need to find the job and company you love during this uncertain time. Register at Recruit Hero and don’t forget to follow our social media, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter to explore more relevant best-matched jobs available for you in Malaysia.
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