It’s becoming clear that coronavirus is not going to be a 1 month wonder. It’s here to stay (at least for a while).
That unfortunately means our current situation is also here to stay. Assuming you’re doing the right thing (staying home!), this means more virtual socialising, meals in bed, pyjamas to work (if you’re lucky enough to work remotely) and progressively later wake-up times. It’s all fun and novel to start with. But pretty soon the inevitable decline of cabin fever sets in - goodbye productivity and sanity.
Our new coronavirus way of life is being observed at an unprecedented global scale. But how do you stay home and stay safe, while also staying productive and sane? Don’t worry, we’ve got you. In this topic we’ll cover:
Ready? Wash your hands for 20 seconds, then let’s go!
Quick show of hands. Would you like to work remotely (at least some of the time) for the rest of your career?
Given we’re not allowed to congregate for non-essential reasons, I can’t count your hands. But I’m going to assume your answers were along these lines:
If you’re part of the 1% that answered “no” to this question, congratulations on not caving to peer pressure. For the rest of us, you can see why a resounding majority (99%) selected “yes” in the State of Remote Report (2019). The flexibility offered by remote work is enticing; giving you more control of your schedule, location and more time in your commute-less day.
But with great flexibility comes great responsibility. Working remotely comes with its own struggles to grapple with:
I had to learn these the hard way. After beginning life as a digital nomad some months ago, I very quickly fell into bad habits. Unnecessary sleep ins? Check. Gym and errands during the day? Check. Cramming more social time into the day? Check. Staying up late to make up for this lost work time? Check. Sleeping in again as a result? Big check.
It doesn’t take long to get into this vicious cycle, and it doesn’t take much for your work to start creeping into areas of the day that you should keep boundaries around! While I didn’t have an issue with this, it’s not a sustainable way to continue working long-term.
The bottom line - get into good habits early!
You’ve stocked up (NOT panic bought) your essentials, lined up (too many) Netflix shows, designated an “exercise” space, decided which table you’ll work from and are now surveying your new home / office / social space for the next who-knows-how-long.
Now to get stuck into work. But how?
The best way to work remotely is a personal choice, but there are some key guiding principles to keep in mind. We’ve broken these down in our 5 Pandemic Principles:
These are crazy times and things are changing on a daily basis. The best thing you can do right now is to stay home. Hopefully our 5 Pandemic Principles will help make this time at home and a life of remote working more bearable.
In the meantime, stay safe, wash your hands and don’t touch your face!
Stay tuned for upcoming topics or check out or other useful articles here. We’ve got plenty more gold to help you make the leap from top student to top professional!
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