The way we live and work is changing daily due to the growing number of cases of Covid-19 in the United States and around the world. Today may be the start of a new daily routine including a new working environment for you – Working from Home.

Here are my top 8 best practices for working effectively from home.

Continue to have your morning routine. Get up, get ready for your day, set an intention for your day, set your schedule and to get to your home office.

If you have a home office, great. If not create your sacred space which you and your family agree to as your work space. This does not mean, working from your couch or working from you bed. Claim the dining room table or kitchen table. You want clean, quiet dedicated space for you to work. Also, make sure you have enough bandwidth to continue to do your job. Review your current internet package and increase bandwidth as needed.

In this new working from home virtual environment you may have more Zoom meetings or Facetime calls from your boss pop up. You do not want to be caught off guard with your hair wet, sitting in your robe when you get a Facetime call from your boss at 9am.

Also, make sure you have a clean background with good lighting for Facetime or Zoom meetings. You don’t want to have piles of laundry or stacks of clutter behind you. You want a clean professional backdrop. You don’t want to look like a Hot Mess.

As you get invited to attend Zoom meetings. Join in person. Ask questions, stay engaged in the conversation. Also, don’t be “away” from Instant Messenger for hours on end. You want to make sure your boss and your team know you are working and not sitting on the couch watching binge watching your favorite TV show. However, if you do need to be away for an extended period of time, communicate your schedule.

It is OK to continue to take lunch. Schedule your breaks. Make sure you get up, walk around. I encourage you to get outside everyday for at least 30 minutes and walk. Fresh air and sunshine is so important to stay physically and mentally healthy.

Your children may also be at home during this time. Make sure they stay mentally engaged during this time too. If they have homework, encourage them to do their homework while you work. If you have a big presentation or weekly meeting you lead, ensure you have child care. Over the weekend I’ve heard many friends creating parenting groups in which groups of parents and children are creating small groups to help each other out during this time. Also, If you have pets also minimize noise during big presentation or meeting you are leading. Make sure your dog isn’t barking during your meeting.

The world we live and work in is changing by the day. Be thinking of creative ways to improve processes, Is there a better way to do something? Share your ideas. This is a new learning for everyone. Stay open to new ways of doing things. Volunteer for special projects. Stay positive.

Remember that everyone deals with change differently. Working from home may be very stressful for some of your co-workers. You may have single parents with little help. You may have a team member who is technically challenged with connectivity issues or lives in a home with bad cell phone reception. You may have someone who is personally affected by Covid-19 and dealing with managing their illness. Remember to be kind, compassionate, help out as you can, and show grace.

We will all get through this together.

If here is a challenge you are facing or a situation you need to talk through, I am offering 15 minute complementary laser coaching sessions from now until the end of March. Message me at sarahucoach@gmail.com to schedule your laser coaching session.