WhatsApp video calling, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, home schooling and social distancing are all terms, that only a few weeks ago, did not play a big part in everyday life. However, now we rely on them more than ever to ensure we continue to work as normally as possible.
In these strange and uncertain times, we are all having to adapt to a new way of life and work. What are our top tips for successfully working from home and what will we take with us into our working lives when this is all over?
- Get dressed for work – “Don’t be tempted to stay in your pyjamas” – according to James Hackett, founder of menswear brand Hackett, “even a drop of cologne does wonders to lift the spirits.” It is important to dress for the day to create the right mindset for work.
- Routine – structure your day. “It provides predictability and continuity and helps to create feelings of safety and calm,” according to Linda Blair, Clinical Psychologist. It is as important for our mental health as it is for our work lives. We are sticking to our normal working hours and have a video conference on Microsoft Teams every morning and afternoon to check in with our colleagues.
- Take some fresh air and exercise – “Spending time in green space or bringing nature into your everyday life can benefit both your mental and physical wellbeing,” according to Mind the mental health charity. So perhaps bring some of the outside in, a bunch of daffodils picked on your walk or some spring blossom from your garden placed on your desk. We are lucky to all live in the countryside at JBP and being part of spring helps us all to feel more optimistic.
- Take time to appreciate your home – we are so often rushing here and there and don’t truly appreciate our surroundings. Our pets are enjoying us being at home more, so let’s take some time out to spend with them and not just make a long list of DIY!
- Stay connected – “Only through our connectedness to others can we really know and enhance the self,” Harriet Goldhor Lerner. Make sure we speak to our friends and colleagues using all the tech tools at our disposal – don’t just email – we all need to see people, to really connect, so slap on some make up and make that video call!
- Lots of coffee, tea and cake – those of you that follow us on social media will know that none of us at JBP can work without cake!
It would be brilliant if we all took some of these tips with us into our future working lives – only time will tell what the ‘new’ future will look like. At JBP we know that whatever the future holds, cake will be part of it!
Stay safe
The JBP Team
