Tips For Working From Home 2.0

BY: Kerry Birch, Director of People and Culture for Drivewyze

For many, the new workplace is a repurposed basement, bedroom or, if you’re lucky, an office in your home. Same goes for the team at Drivewyze. Being a high-tech company, we’re pretty fortunate – we have all the tools in place to make the transition relatively smooth. Even still, it’s been an adjustment.

A few weeks back, we shared some insight in this blog on ways to best work from home. We hope that was helpful. Now, we thought we’d share a few more things we’ve learned along the way.

But first, we wanted to share the truthful view into how our team is handling everything, because let’s be honest – it’s tough working from home. And there’s hope in knowing you’re not alone in how you may be feeling.

Our own team members have mentioned new tendencies they’ve picked up since working from home. We’ve heard snacking more frequently, taking fewer breaks during work, and exercising less seem to be the common. These habits certainly don’t help if you’re trying to cope with stress. In fact, it can make it worse.

Many of our team members have also reported they’re finding it hard to unwind and sometimes feel “cooped up” since much of our time is spent inside our homes. And, with fewer “distractions,” many are finding their thoughts drifting towards the current state of COVID-19 – how it could impact their family and friends; how long we’ll be living this new form of life; not to mention the long-term impact COVID-19 may have on the economy.

With so much to process, it’s easy to see why stress levels can be high. So, it’s important to find the right work/life balance when your office is at home. Especially since we don’t know how long it will be before we can get back to our regular way of life. Finding that right balance can help reduce stress. Here’s some tips I shared across our company to help our teams create a clear distinction between “work time” and “free time.”

KEEP A ROUTINE

• Wake up and get ready like you’re going into the office. Get dressed as if it’s a usual workday.
• Know when to start and when to be done for the day. That puts a ‘timeline’ on your workday.
• Try to keep life as normal as possible, go outside for fresh air and stay in contact with people.

DEDICATE A WORKSPACE

• Have a workspace that is just used for work. It provides fewer distractions, and you get to feel like you ‘left the office’ when you leave the room and call it a day.
• Be sure your space is comfortable and inviting, but don’t work from the couch.

PLAN & SCHEDULE

• Establish and maintain a “workday” schedule. Avoid having “non work” and “work” overlap. Set a schedule for yourself to complete different activities.
• Make a plan and hold yourself to it. Don’t let things get pushed to the side.
• Have a “to do” list.

SCHEDULE BREAKS

• Schedule breaks and your lunch hour in your calendar and protect those times from disruption.
• Schedule meetings for 25 or 50 minutes and use the extra time before your next meet to check in on the family or take a brain break.

FOCUS

• Limit social media and news exposure.
• Focus on tasks and don’t get diverted.
• Turn off your computer, or put in sleep mode, when you are not working.
• Be cautious not to fall down rabbit holes – either spending too much time on one thing for too long or getting caught up on the Internet and loosing track to time.

MANAGE YOUR WELL-BEING

• Step away from the computer – walk around the house or go outside for a walk around the block. Stretch your legs, and your mind.
• Stay in tune with how you are coping. Talk with friends. When feeling anxious or worried, take time to research ways to cope – there are tons of helpful resources on the Internet. In a recent blog, we covered how truck drivers can improve their health and wellness on the road. Much of that information can be helpful for you at home as well.
• With working from home and having to manage homeschooling, don’t stress – just do the best you can.

STAY CONNECTED

• Join in on virtual events and social meetings on Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts, Zoom or other platforms. Using real-time video for meetings creates a deeper sense of connection when you can see faces.

We all look forward to the day we‘re all back in the office and into our more typical routines, but, until then it’s important to remember we are in this together and we will make it through. We appreciate your business, we appreciate your drivers, and we’re here to help.