How to Effectively Work from Home During COVID-19 Pandemic

The spread of COVID-19 has thrown life out of gear and introduced a new NORMAL work routine.  The nation recently going into lock-down in an effort to flatten the COVID-19 curve firmly. It says a lot about the gravity of the situation when we need to take such drastic measures to keep everyone safe.

With all non-essential services shut, India Inc. is now officially on work-from-home mode. While remote working is a well-established aspect of corporate work policies, it has never been tested or attempted at such a bigger scale until now. Perhaps the silver lining in all this is that we live in a highly connected digital world, with plenty of apps, tools, and platforms to help us invariably navigate such challenges to meet the business requirements.

The technology we have today gives us an edge that entrepreneurs and businesses did not experienced in the past—we can get work done, innovate, and make progress with just our digital or virtual presence. Even though , it can still be a bit unsettling not to have the routine of going into the office, of trying to stay distraction-free in a whole new environment where the people around you are not your colleagues, but family members.

When the line between work and home life is essentially non-existent, how does one manage to meet deadlines and targets while also devoting time to the children at home, and managing family chores?

While one may have to attend to needs and situations that inevitably arise when the entire family is home, I find that it helps to take short planned breaks to take care of those things—engaging with the kids, completing a chore, etc. By allocating enough time in your schedule to deal with things that would otherwise become ‘distractions’, you might be able to reduce stress and feel less ‘all-over-the-place’.

As you wind up your workday, you must allow your mind to transition from work time to personal time. It helps to leave your laptop and other work-gear in your work area and then be fully involved with regular family activities until you start work again the next day.

This COVID-19 pandemic has already altered the landscape of the global workspace beyond recognition. However, I believe that this change gives us a unique opportunity to discover new ways of working and utilizing technology, which could have a positive impact long after we overcome the current crisis.