The coronavirus has hit this globe and this country in different ways. Many of us are still going to a physical office, while most of us are working from home. Additionally, many of you also have kids at home to take care of and entertain. During uncertain times and unique opportunities, we wanted to share 6 simple ways you can leverage your time while we’re quarantined due to COVID-19.
1. Put boundaries on your time.
For those of you that are working from home, it will be important to block off time in your day to focus on work and tasks you need to do. Take out your calendar or planner and section off parts of your day where you need to be in meetings, need to zone in on a project, or need to read and respond to emails.
This will help you prioritize what needs to get done, help you focus, and keep the distractions at a minimum. Of course, if you’re working from home and taking care of the kids, it’s going to be important to be flexible with your time as well. Prioritize what needs to get done, block off time to get the most important stuff done, and balance your time with the kids in the meantime.
2. Take breaks.
If you’re working from home, it’s going to be important to take breaks throughout your day. Without a physical office, desk, and space, you won’t meander to the break room for a snack nor will you stop by your coworker’s office to ask a question. Plus, if you’ve got all the kids at home, you may go stir crazy having them all under one roof at the same time for long periods of time.
Take a 10 minute break to go make a snack for you and your kids. Go for a walk outside and take the kids with you, if you’re able to. Take 5 minutes to call a friend and see how they’re doing in all this. Love on your dog. Stretch your muscles. Do some deep breathing. Taking a break in any fashion will help keep you in a positive mindset, clear your mind, concentrate on your tasks, and stabilize your mood.
3. Rest well.
Working in a flex environment does have its challenges, but it also has its benefits and advantages. When you don’t have to commute to work, you are able to set the alarm clock later and save the afternoon commute time as well.
Take this extra time that you save to rest well. Sleep in a little bit more – it’s good for you. Strive to get 8 – 10 hours of sleep every night. The more rested you are, the more prepared you are to take on the days ahead. We live in such a busy society where the need to hustle and hurry often outweighs the need to rest and be still. Savor this intentional time to rest well
4. Spend intentional time together.
With extenuating circumstances due to COVID-19, we have unique opportunities to spend intentional time together with one another. College students are being asked to go home for the rest of the semester. Students of every age are learning at home with their families. Parents are working from home or leaving and returning for work without delay. Families are gathering together. Friends are rallying for one another.
We have one of the most unique opportunities to spend intentional time together as families. How are we going to make the most of that time together? Let’s rally with one another. Let’s protect one another. Let’s listen to one another. Let’s stick together.
5. Connect and engage with one another.
With a lack of physical of in-person communication or connection, it is going to be very important to incorporate that into your daily life as much as possible. Being with people is so important to our mental, emotional, and physical well-being.
If you can’t be with people in person, take time daily to connect with others. Make a list of several people you need to call today or tomorrow. Call a friend or family member and see how they’re doing. Check in on your nurses and doctors. Leave a note for your neighbor and ask if they need anything. Take time during your day to chat with your coworkers over the phone.
Plus, if you are quarantined alone or know someone that is, make sure you take time to connect with others. Call people. Facetime. Meet via Facebook. Host a virtual meeting with your coworkers. Skype your small group or community. Taking this time to connect with other people, hear their voice, talk about your day, and share in what you’re going through will help keep us all healthy, productive, and sane.
6. Seek new opportunities.
Have you been meaning to get to that project at your house for years? Now’s the time to do it. Have you been meaning to start painting and use your creative skills? What better time than now. Are you needing to start a business from home in order to supplement or create additional income? The opportunity is now, and it’s here.
No matter what you’ve been wanting to do or need to do, now is the time to do it. If you’ve been meaning to learn more about financial skills or leadership principles, now is the time to learn. That stack of books sitting on your desk is waiting to be read and applied. A remote, work from home business is available for you to pursue with the ideal circumstances to learn, apply, and do right now. Make the most of this time and seek out these new opportunities.
The coronavirus has affected many of our circumstances right now including our work, our family, our time, our habits, our health, and more. However, the coronavirus is also presenting unique opportunities for us to leverage our time in different ways. How can we use this time to help one another, serve one another, and build one another up? If we stay connected with one another, engage, use our time wisely, and stay healthy emotionally, mentally, and physically, we’ll leverage our time well and see these difficult circumstances as unique opportunities.