Apr26

How to Survive Quarantining With Kids

Posted on by
How to Survive Quarantining With Kids

Last week, we talked about how to create a routine that works, and why routines are important to help you be more productive and efficient throughout your day. This is especially helpful if you work from home or if you are doing shift work. 

Speaking of working from home…how many of you have the graceful blessing but the extra complication of working from home with kids? I’d understand if you’re too tired to raise your hand. During the pandemic, a lot of working parents have discovered the joys of being able to stay at home and look after their kids as they quarantine together. At the same time, a lot of working parents have also discovered that they suddenly have to work twice as hard when quarantining with kids, once as a working from home professional and twice as a stay at home parent. 

Not all work from home set-ups are created equal. If you’re a freelancer or have always been working from home pre-pandemic, chances are you have more flexibility and control over your time. If you are working from home because of the quarantine, there’s a big possibility that your office is going to expect you to stick to routines and operation hours. It will be business as usual but in a work from home setting.

This distinction is what will make or break your quarantining with kids experience. Obviously, parents who have more flexibility can work around their children’s feeding schedule, playtime, nap time, or online school activities. These tips are for the parents who find working from home with kids, more challenging.

Share the responsibility

If you and your spouse are both working from home, then you have to discuss child care first and foremost. If you haven’t, do it now before it turns into a fight. You both have to understand that child care has to be a shared responsibility and that you are going to have to take turns looking after your children.

Work child care into your schedule

If you can afford it, work broken hours so that you can incorporate your children’s routine into yours. Wake up earlier then they do so that you can get in a few quiet hours to yourself to do your morning routine or get some work done. Once they’re up, you can get breakfast together and prepare them for class. Once they’re in online classes, you can probably knock out some conference calls at the same time while they’re busy with lessons. Share your alternative schedule with your boss and ask for a bit of flexibility. 

Be an early bird

This will not work for everyone, especially those who work with teams or are sticking to business hours. The alternative is to wake up early and do as much prep as you can for the day. Here are some things that you can prep for:

  • Snacks and Meals (you can also do your meal prep on weekends)
  • Outfits (kids and yours)
  • Work/Study area (make sure gadgets are charged and earphones are available)
  • Pet food and water
  • Clean up (quick clean areas like desks and kitchen counters)

Make sure to get everyone (even the kids) onboard and create an area dedicated only for work from home related activities. That means the kids should understand that they are not allowed in that “no-kids zone”. Ask for help. You can enlist the help of older kids to take care of the younger ones as well. What are your survival tips for quarantining with kids? Share them with us in the comments. Remember to work smart and be a blessing to someone today. Stay safe and healthy!

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp

Apr19

How To Create a Routine That Works

Posted on by
How To Create a Routine That Works

Last week, we talked about how to be productive, no matter what shift schedule you are on. The success of that advice hinges on having a routine or structure to your day. Routines work because they take away your reliance on willpower. As we all know and have experienced firsthand, willpower is an extremely finite resource. Everytime we call it up, it takes effort. The opposite is true for routines. Routines don’t require a lot of effort. If anything they are muscle memory and are just things that are quietly ingrained into your day. 

A routine is a series of habits or actions strung together in a sequence or pattern. For it to benefit you, your routine should include actions that will help you focus, improve your concentration and performance, and help you stay motivated. It’s a tall order, but remember that you get to customize your routine. You get to pick and plug in habits that work for you.

Here are some suggestions of smart and helpful actions to add to your routine:

  1. Wake Up To Natural Light – studies show that natural lighting increases concentration and focus. If you want to increase your productivity throughout the day, start by waking up to natural light.
  2. Do Something Motivational – this could be as simple as reciting your favorite affirmations or doing yoga or meditation for 10minutes. Or you could schedule a quick workout to boost your feel-good hormones and ensure that you are energized and supercharged for the rest of the day.
  3. Dress For Success – take a quick shower and dress up! If you work from home, working in your pajamas won’t help you get into a productive mindset. Also, dressing up for work will ensure that you look good in those Zoom meetings.
  4. Minimize Distractions – this means staying away from social media, getting rid of clutter, and minimizing noise. Start by having a clear desk and getting rid of clutter. We’ve all fallen into the rabbit hole of checking social media apps and then coming up for air an hour after. If you can’t shake the habit, there are apps specifically designed to minimize social media distractions. 
  5. Take Breaks – breaks help you refocus on your tasks. They give your brain time to rest. Plan to take 5-minute breaks in between tasks so you can take a breather and come back more productive than ever.

Pick and match the best habits that work for you and add them to your routine. Creating a process, or fixed program with these habits strung together in a flow or logical order is called “habit stacking.” The goal is to establish a flow of good habits that you don’t even have to think about, it comes naturally. This frees up brainpower for better decision-making, concentration, and creativity. 

What does your work routine look like? Share them with us in the comments. Remember to work smart and be a blessing to someone today. Stay safe and healthy!

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp

Apr12

How To Be Productive No Matter What Shift Schedule You Are On

Posted on by
How To Be Productive No Matter What Shift Schedule You Are On

I don’t know about you, but since the global lockdowns due to the pandemic, my circadian rhythm has been out of whack. One major reason is that more people are working from home and have the ability to work across different time zones. Which keeps them up very late or very early. 

Switching schedules can wreak havoc on your schedule and decrease productivity. It is advisable to stick to a consistent work schedule because our brains work best when it follows a routine. Why? Routine trumps willpower because it doesn’t require such a huge effort from you. Once you have an established routine, everything else follows a schedule – that’s why we say “it’s like clockwork.” It doesn’t take much mental energy to follow a routine, it flows easily whereas willpower is an extremely finite resource. Routine signals to your brain what it should expect thus making it easier for you to be productive and get work done.

Now that we’ve established why it’s important to have a routine in order to be productive, here are some tips to make that work for you no matter what shift schedule you’re on. 

Extend your routine to the non-work parts of your day

Having a “morning routine” signals the start of your day – whatever time that is. Having an “evening routine” signals the end of the day – whatever time that is. So if your “morning routine” includes, a quick workout or yoga flow, taking a shower, getting dressed, and making coffee, then do that to signal the start of your day – even if your shift starts at 6pm. 

Incorporate “structure” into your workday

This could mean working at the same place (a home office helps), starting and stopping work at the same time each day, having the same tools/apps ready when you log-in for work. Don’t forget to also incorporate reeks into your workflow. The Pomodoro Technique, a time management method developed by Francesco Cirillo, can help you break up your day into productive intervals. 

Customize your routine to fit YOUR lifestyle

If you’re naturally more productive after having coffee, then schedule all your brain work after you’ve had time to process your first cup. If you’re prone to experiencing mental blocks in the middle of your shift, take a break, get away from your desk for a while and take a walk to clear your mind. If you’re working from home and can afford a little flexibility in your schedule, you can maybe get some errands in so that it doesn’t weigh on you the whole day.

If you extend your routine, incorporate structure into your workday, and customize your routine, you can be productive no matter what shift schedule you’re working. Do you have any tips to manage productivity even with an unpredictable work schedule or shifting schedule? Share them with us in the comments. Remember to work smart and be a blessing to someone today. Stay safe and healthy!

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp

Apr6

Tools You Will Need If You Want To Successfully Work From Home

Posted on by
Tools You Will Need If You Want To Successfully Work From Home

Are you part of the 41.8% of the American workforce who continue to work remotely even after the government has eased up on the lockdown restrictions? Your company has probably seen the overwhelming statistics that support the benefits of working from home. Gartner projects that organizations that support a “choose-your-own-work-style” culture will boost employee retention rates by more than 10%. While Flexjobs reports that 97% of the workforce said a job with flexibility would have a huge improvement or positive impact on their overall quality of life. Buffer says that 40% of remote workers were in agreement that a flexible work schedule is the biggest benefit to working remotely. Then there’s the PGI report that states that 82% of their telecommuters reported lower stress levels. Improved quality of life – check. Less stress from the commute – check. Flexible work hours – check. Lower stress levels – check. So many benefits, that’s probably why employers have given their employees the option to keep working from home.

By now, you should already have the essential tools you need to be able to work from home. Unlike at the beginning of the pandemic when we had to go through hoops to secure company-issued laptops or have our personal laptops installed with tighter security checking tools. Here are 4 must-haves for successfully working from home. 

Desktop or Laptop

The most basic need for working from home is a computing machine so this is a must have. Get a reliable one if you don’t yet have one by now. A desktop is better if you’re in it for the long haul.

A task management system

You can use the old whiteboard method or better yet, use a digital system. Your company probably uses one already (Wrike, Trello, Asana, etc.) Just make sure you have a way to track your tasks. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself overwhelmed and just trying to put out  fires

A place to work

While the kitchen table is a perfectly good spot to work, you’re going to have to carve out space for a permanent home office. It doesn’t have to be fancy but should be enough space to hold a work desk and a comfy chair. If you live with other people, having a work area will signal that when you are in this zone, you are not to be disturbed (if only it were that easy with kids!)

A good pair of headphones

If you can afford it, get the noise-canceling ones. And get the “plug-and-play” ones, so you don’t have to tinker with ports and settings, and other whatnots. Most of your work from home life will be video conferences and collaboration calls, so a nice pair of professional headsets will reduce those “hello, can you hear me?” moments.

What are your work from home essentials? We’d love to know what your favorite tools are. Share them with us in the comments. Remember to work smart and be a blessing to someone today. Stay safe and healthy!

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp

Mar30

Setting Better Screen Time Boundaries

Posted on by
Setting Better Screen Time Boundaries

We’re surrounded by screens: laptops, desktop monitors, mobile phones, tablets. We’re a culture of almost constantly being on some kind of screen. Now, with a lot of people in quarantine and working remotely, there’s been a huge surge in screen time. Reports show that the average adult spends about 3½ hours a day using the Internet on their phones, according to a 2019 study from the analytics company Zenith. This report only mentions how much time is spent on a mobile phone and doesn’t include the time we spend staring at other screens. During the pandemic, a  study published in Cambridge Open Engage found that screen time had increased by 20-30% on average during the crisis. 

The point is, we spend so much screen time that we have to reclaim the time we’ve lost (we’re losing) and take control of our digital well-being and our productive time. Here’s how you can set better screen time boundaries:

Save interesting articles on a watch later/read later list 

It’s easy to get succeed into a blackhole of Youtube recommendations or reading recommendations. Once you’re hooked, you have to watch the next explainer video or the next article about murder hornets. While it’s fine to gain knowledge, it shouldn’t be a huge time suck! You can watch it later or read it later at your own leisure, so save it into a list for the meantime.

Do a cleanse

Cleanse your smartphone. Delete all apps that you rarely use. If there are apps on your phone that you haven’t used in the past 6 months, then you might want to start with those.

Turn OFF your notifications

Apps are designed to try to get your attention and keep you engaged for as long as they can. So, turn off your notifications. Most things can wait, and if it’s urgent or an emergency – you’re probably going to get a phone call. Otherwise, respond or check at your own pace.

Allot a quiet time for yourself

During this quiet time, don’t check your phone or other devices. What you do during this time is all up to you, as long as it doesn’t involve staring at a screen. You can cook, read, take a well-deserved nap, go for a run, etc. Reclaim your time.

Better yet, allot a time for checking social media and email

The need to stay connected all the time has a tendency to take over our lives. The news will still be there after an hour. Your friend’s lunch will still be up on Instagram even if you don’t check your phone right now. That email will still be in your inbox. The world won’t explode if you miss one post or one email. Don’t sweat the small stuff.

Screens are not the enemy, but they could be if you let them run your life. Use them to incorporate more efficiency and productivity in your life. Do you have any tips for reducing screen time? Share them with us in the comments. Remember to work smart and be a blessing to someone today. Stay safe and healthy!

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp