It’s not common when your favorite co-working space (thank you, we’re flattered) gives you advice on how to work from home, because we take pride in being your office of course. However, things are different right now, and even though we’re in the midst of a global pandemic that is unprecedented for just about every single person on Earth, we know that the work of an entrepreneur never stops.
Whether remotely or in office, there is a lot of work for many to still do right now. Working at this time can also be a good escape from the anxiety that has filled our daily lives, which is why The Park will still be accessible for Members during normal business hours through a shutdown. (ATP staff will not be present though.)
For those of our members and guests who are choosing to work from home, we’ve put together a sample routine and cheat sheet of things to consider when working from home to maximize your productivity:
1) Stick to or develop a new routine. Although you’re just working from home, it’s still important to get eight hours of sleep every night. In some cases, this may be more feasible now than before the pandemic started. Take advantage of it.
2) Then, start every day the same way: Commit to working out, emails, the bulk of your work (writing, data, spreadsheets, etc.), or easing into it with coffee first and tackle everything else in order of priority after that.
3) By midday, step away from your designated work space (more on this in a moment) and truly give yourself a break. Mental health is even more of a priority in these trying times.
4) Finish your workday strong by knocking out any incomplete tasks that were started earlier in the day or at the end of the previous days or weeks.
That’s somewhat of a routine. Don’t forget that taking breaks is not only acceptable as part of your routine, but also should be built into it. We recommend writing down the five most important tasks of your day and starting on them from the order of most-to-least important, devoting 25 minutes of focus to the task at hand, then taking five minutes off. Keep that going until your bigger break (lunch or quitting time).
*Bonus: Use some of your “break time” to do things that you couldn’t do around the house when you were at work before. That could be: take the chicken out of the freezer for dinner tonight to let it thaw, do some laundry, wash some dishes, walk the dog, etc. By doing this during your workday, you give yourself plenty of time to relax when it’s time to wind down at night. Make sure you get some sort of exercise in at some point too; this may be the most important WFH tip of all.
Another huge way to have success working from home is by sticking to your normal work hours. Of course, if you know you’re better working at one specific time over another, then now is the time to give yourself the schedule you’ve always wanted to have!
As for your home office set up, we recommend having a designated work space. In other words, no working from your bed! It doesn’t matter if it’s emails to start the day or a quick social media post at the end of the night. Just like the physical distancing we’re all committed to, having boundaries in your home will make it much easier to develop a routine and give your mind a break.
We also recommend “getting dressed” for work every day even if you’re at home. This doesn’t mean you need to put on a business suit, of course, but changing out of the clothes you slept into something slightly less casual (joggers instead of pajamas or a collared shirt instead of a T-shirt, for example) will make you feel as if you’ve gotten “dressed” for the day and have you prepared for the challenges of an abnormal workday ahead.
Ultimately, there’s no telling when life will return to normal (or a “new normal”) as we here in America have barely scratched the surface of what is to come. While we’re all hoping for the best, one way to ensure it happens is by staying home more, and making the most of the time we have to ourselves. Remember all those hours you lost by sitting in Atlanta traffic? They’re yours now! Use them wisely. We hope these tips help you do that!
Don’t get too comfortable at home! We miss you at The Park! When this is all over, we’d love to talk with you about the global response to the coronavirus pandemic during the ATP Cyber HealthTech Conference and Challenge at The Park in July 2020! Needless to say, there will be tons to talk about! We hope to see you there.
Lastly, if you’re looking for something to watch on Netflix during this time—or maybe if you’re just missing ATP—then might we recommend watching the movie Sextuplets, which was filmed at The Park in October 2018.