Covid-19: Your Coronavirus Work from Home Guide

The Covid-19 Work from Home Checklist 

Let's first establish the importance of this checklist or why we need to think about these things. We are living in unprecedented times. We have never seen a worldwide pandemic of this caliber before, and at this time, the United States seems to be leading #1 in number of cases. All in all, this means that practicing social distancing and self-quarantine has become a way of life for most. If you are not working from home yet, but seemingly could, it’s important to advocate for yourself and for your loved ones (remember you could be just an asymptomatic carrier). Ok, that’s my spiel. So, we are likely in it for the long haul. Which brings us to this topic. It’s more important than ever to develop some coping methods, boundaries and routines that will enable us all to work remotely for awhile. If not, the stress and panic of this pandemic could eat away at us. (too much?). Fo those of you that do already have an office space, most of these tips will still be helpful, although you can probably skip #2 Continuity.

1.‘ROUTINE’ (OR ‘MORNING HOUR’, ‘GET READY’?)

• Keep the same routine now that you are working from home, that you did when you went to your office

• Ex: if you woke up at 8am on workdays, drank coffee while checking the news and then hopped in the shower to get ready….Keep that same morning time routine. 

• Routine habits cue even our unconscious part of the brain, to get into ‘work’ mode which creates a less stressful environment

• Chuck the fantasy of working in pajamas. We are in for the long haul and who knows how long social distancing will continue.

• Getting ready (showered and dressed) every morning will also help lift your mood and stop the days from melding into each other. 

2. CONTINUITY

• If you don’t have a home office already, create a designated space to work from.

• Perform your work tasks only in the space, and in no other part of your house.

• Do nothing else in that space.

• This unconsciously sets up a cue for your brain to start ‘work’ mode.

• I understand this can get monotonous and boring, but what did you do about that when you went into the office? Utilize the same coping skills (or tactics?) Did you take breaks? Stretched? Spoke to colleagues? Took a walk? Ok, the last one might have been to your local food joint, which may not be plausible now, but you can definitely take walks. The weather is already improving.

3. FAMILIARITY

• Take some time now to set up your workspace to bring in familiarity of your actual office space

• This can include, recreating bulletin boards, white boards, etc., & adding pictures that may have been hung up in your office space.

• Place staplers, pens and other office supplies in that space to remind you of your office space

• If you had a picture of your family at work, then place or hang a frame near your desk

• Even if you have 1-2 familiar items that remind you of your actual work space, that’s good enough. If not, don’t stress about it and move on.

• Just try to place your desk, table, chair or face yourself in a direction that is not conducive to distractions like watching someone in the kitchen, living room etc. This will only add to your stress levels. More about that here Multitasking and Stress Management

4. WORK HOURS

• This is very important since I’ve been hearing many clients state that they are “constantly” working.

• Work only the amount of time you have been hired or paid to work. So, if you worked 9-6pm Mon-Fri, for example, then work only during those hours and days.

• There will ALWAYS be work that is left over. Have you ever really left work thinking that you won’t have anything to do the next day? Not really. The same applies here. Leave any unfinished tasks for the next working day.

• Remind your employer that you work during these hours. 

• If you are salaried and don’t have any end time, think back and assert your general working hours. If you spent 1-2 days late in the evening working, then allow yourself only that now. 

• Any working parents would need to remind employers that your ‘personal’ mommy/daddy time starts at 2,3,6pm etc. 

5. WIND UP & UNWIND

• Before this pandemic, I imagine you had your morning routine of getting yourself psyched up to start work (coffee, emails, news, shower, car/train/bus commute etc.) 

• Emulate your routine as close to your actual routine. So you would likely be able to copy your exact schedule (if you so wanted) except for the commute part. Perhaps that is the time you go for a short walk to get in that headspace. Walk your dog while you are at it, throw the trash or any other chore. 

• Just like getting ready for work, it is important to keep consistency in unwinding from work. 

• You run a great risk of snapping at your partner, children, roommates or other loved ones, if you don’t take your time to unwind. 

• Your unwind time in the past was perhaps taken up by a car ride/commute, walking the dog and catching a tv show/movie, before interacting with other members at home. 

• Imagine that you have that same time (or maybe a little less, if you have kids/pets/other responsibilities) and think of ways to relax. Go for a short jog or just a walk. Do mindfulness meditation or yoga, or partake in a hobby for ½ hours. 

• Communicate exact parameters of time (“Honey, I end work mode at 6pm and till 7:30pm I will continue to need that time to wind down. Just like it was when I went into the office. After that, I’m all ears and would love to engage in what we’ve planned for the evening” etc.)

6. BOUNDARIES AROUND LOVED ONES

• The most important piece of advice here is to ask your partner for what you need, in order to fulfill your work responsibilities. 

• If you need someone to watch your child from 9-5 everyday, but both of you are working from home, see if you can divide up the time in blocks to give each other breaks. 

• If you are not a parent, but live with your partner or spouse, it’s important to communicate now (before another working day begins), what your working hours are.

• Also let them know that during those working hours, you are not to be disturbed and/or you cannot have lengthy or meaningful conversations with them. Emergencies are exceptions.

• Treat your time and space, like you would, if you were actually in your office. 

7. BOUNDARIES AROUND SUPERVISORS/BOSSES & COLLEAGUES

• Similar to the points above, it is important to remind your employers or colleagues that you are maintaining your scheduled work time.

• Just because you are at home, and now technically have access to your computer 24-7, does NOT mean you are going to be working 24-7, because you have other responsibilities (or priorities! But, maybe leave that last word out. LOL).

  That's it. Good luck and let me know how it’s going for you. My inspiration for this blog happened in session with a client when I realized how much anxiety and stress she was carrying from lack of concrete boundaries between work and home. These are ways to create those boundaries and ultimately, develop healthy coping mechanisms during this unprecedented time.  If you want support and specific input on how to manage stress/anxiety of this pandemic, how to overcome depression when bombarded with negative images or individual support on specific goals, you can email: drlele@mentalwealthinc.com, call 626-594-5353 for your free 20 min consult or click on ‘Book a Consult’ at the top of the page.