The COVID-19 virus epidemic pandemic ( give it whatever name you choose to call it hehehe) has redefined the way we do things and function in the world generally. From social distancing to lock downs and shut downs (they all mean the same thing really, stay the fuck at home), we are all starting to learn that many of what we go to do in the office can be achieved from home. Albeit with a lot more dedication and more distractions, but still they can be achieved from the sweet comfort of your homes.
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I am one of the fortunate few to have started working from home for quite a long time before this pandemic. Before I came into Cryptocurrency I was into Digital Marketing and I used to work in a Digital Marketing firm. I realised that most of what I went to work to do could be done straight from home, because my field was a highly digital one. To be honest with you and myself, I used to go to work only to use the free WiFi and not because I could only get work done in the office.
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But then the experience taught me to better work from home, especially a house full of lousy, noise making and sometimes annoying siblings. In spite of all their raucous I still managed to get my work done, and so I'll tell you a few things to help you get work done if you're new to this whole game and business of working from home. Hopefully some of the things I mention you will find useful and can adopt maybe they'll work for you too like they have done for me.
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The first step to creating heaven and working from your extra comfy home is to Set clear times for work. This can prove rather hard, because you might succumb to the sleeping and waking up late and getting complacent and too comfortable to work. But one thing I've found that helps is for you to set out clear times you want to be working and stick to it. For instance, you could decide that you want to be up by 6 or 7 (just like you would if you were going to an office), and be done with all the house chores and errands you want to do by 10am max. So you'll know that from 11am to say 4 or 5pm you will be working undisturbed. Setting a clear time gives you a sense of focus and it makes you accountable to yourself. If by 11 you haven't started working, you'll feel bad and work on how to correct that the next day.
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Next, you want to Create a working schedule. While it is good to say I want to work from 11am-4pm, it is not enough. You need to write out a to-do list or a schedule that will direct you on what you should be doing. The thing is working from home is comfortable (many times much too comfortable), and so you can succumb to the distractions and just keep telling yourself I'll get it done before 4pm, meanwhile you are just piling up more work. So you could tell yourself from 11-12pm I want to be doing this, and from 12-1pm I must have achieved that. At the end of the day, this to-do list will help you know whether you have achieved all that you set out to do that day or you were just gallivanting saying that you were working.
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Now after you've set clear times to work, and have created a to-do list to carry out in that time, the next thing to do is to Create a safe working space. Now for this, there is no Holy Grail or one-shoe-fits-all model. Some people would tell you to keep your work area organized, but some other people like it a bit cluttered with loose bits of paper strewn around. Some would even advise you to have natural light and proper ventilation but I've seen some work spaces at home that are dark and closed and the only source of illumination are dim lighting. Whatever works best for you practise it, but personally I love natural light (not too much though) and adequate ventilation. Just create a place free from disturbance where you can go and be in your element.
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After you've done this, another thing you should practice is to Take needed breaks. One of the biggest advantages of working from home is that it is more comfortable and relaxing, so don't kill this purpose. You should take breaks when needed and it could be whatever. Overtime, I've tried and practised different things when taking a break. Once, it used to be that I would go take a bath and stand under the shower for a minute to relax myself. Later I started taking short walks around my neighborhood when I was on break. Right now, in the 20 minutes during my break I go see an episode of Everybody hates Chris (that's what I've been seeing lately), because an episode is 20 minutes long. Like I said there is no perfect model of what to do. Whatever works for you during your breaks and makes you more productive when you get back you should do.
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Lastly, you should learn to Accept the laziness that will follow and use it. You should know that no matter what you do, working from home will make you a bit lazy. You should accept that laziness and learn to use it. Accepting your laziness means that you will learn to do things faster than you previously did because you are looking for quicker ways to get your work done. Laziness can be good because it will drive you to find better ways to get shit done. Many of these inventors probably found out what they did because they were too lazy to use the more stressful ones. For example, the Wright brothers probably made a plane because they were lazy and hated staying for long on a ship. Steve Jobs was probably too lazy to be looking for a phone book and dialing so many numbers so he created the iPhone. Satoshi Nakamoto too was probably lazy and hated going to Banks with their long queues so he created the faster Bitcoin 😂😂😂. See, many of these guys are lazy but they embraced it and so should you.
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If the COVID-19 pandemic keeps biting hard as it currently is, working from home will be a life saving skill. It is something you might want to start working on (if you haven't already started), and this piece can help you. Keep growing guys, and remember to pls wash your hands.
First posted here.