Tag: Quarantine at home

Things To Do At Home While In Lockdown Mode

As coronavirus continues to ravage different parts of the world, a large number of countries have resorted to self-imposed lockdowns. Though the measure for social distancing seems stringent, it is surely meant for the greater good. And I see the silver lining in the fact that now is the time we can get back to the basics, spend more time with family and catch up everything that we’ve been missing in the race to stay ahead. Here are some things I would suggest doing at home to make the most of the lockdown mode.

Cook- If you are an avid cooking enthusiast like me, now is the time to experiment with your grandma’s classic recipes. Or you can just try using that recipe book you bought but never got to open. You can even bake some cakes with kids to keep engaged and spend some quality time with them.

Read- I’ve always loved reading but this hobby somehow took a backseat, with my personal and professional responsibilities taking up all my time. I’m using this lockdown as the opportunity for hunting down the old and new works of my favourite authors and reading them.

Movies- Now is the time to dig out the all-time favourites and the latest releases and catch up on the movies you have been missing. A cup of steaming hot coffee with homemade popcorn is all you would want for a perfect evening!

Exercise- Don’t forget your exercise routine! Try innovative indoor exercise techniques such as aerobics, yoga and tai-chi instead of the gym and morning jogs. After all, you wouldn’t want those extra pounds on when you get back to work.

Dance- And if you want to have fun while losing calories, try your favourite dance form. The best part is that you can involve your partner and rekindle your romance with this amazing pastime.

Hope these cool ideas will make the lockdown less stressful. Let’s stay healthy and think positive, this will pass too!

How To Manage Work And Kids Together when Working from Home

Every working mom and dad knows the challenges of managing work and kids together and the best part is that a majority of us do pretty well. But the sudden outbreak of coronavirus has made us question our capabilities as we struggle to align the work-at-home culture with unexpected school breaks. So the concern that almost every parent shares today relates to managing work and kids together as we get quarantined for at least a few weeks or even months ahead.

Here are some suggestions I have for work-at-home parents with kids of all ages.

Create and maintain schedules- It will keep you productive and sane and the kids will feel comfortable and normal as well. 

Build a strategy with your partner- Don’t expect to handle the crisis by yourself, rather create a strategy with your partner. Consider working in shifts so that you can balance things as a team.

Communicate- You may be super-busy while working remotely but don’t miss out on communication with the children. Let them know you are always there for them, even when working on your full-time job. 

Keep the kiddos engaged– Art and craft makes an ideal pastime for the younger ones, while you can find some good apps and games for the older children. Still, keep a check on their screen time. 

Delegate- You can delegate the household chores to keep the kids busy and reduce your workload. Rewarding them for helping is a good way to keep them positive and motivated.

Find activities you can do together- Fun family activities like indoor games, preparing dinner together and yoga sessions every evening make a good idea. 

Set boundaries- Set clear boundaries for your children and let them know you will be working from home just like you did from the office. 

Try to have a separate work area- It would be great if you can allocate a work area away from where the kids spend most of their time. Ask them to stay out when you have a virtual meeting or conference call. 

Take breaks and pamper yourself- Be sure to get breaks and spend time pampering yourself because you will need to recharge once in a while

Take one day as it comes- You will not feel stressed about the future as it is hard to predict how long it will last. 

Most importantly, my advice is to be flexible and realize that you cannot be perfect in such an imperfect situation! 

How To Have A Productive Day Working From Home

Though we may have all worked from home once or more, mandatory work-from-home has now taken us by surprise with the coronavirus crisis taking over the world. Being productive while working remotely can be challenging, with all kinds of distractions you have at home.

There are kids to handle, pets to look after, housework to do and a lot more to deal with. And sometimes, the vibe itself makes you feel off. Still, my personal experience says that achieving optimal productivity even while working from home is possible if you take the right approach. Some tips if you are trying to work from home, and either getting bored or losing spirit:

1. Have a Plan for the day – My tip is to do this the night before
2. Get started early, as it helps to get more out of the day.
3. Pretend like you are going into the office, dress up for those video conference calls as well.
4. Structure your day like you would in the office. You will definitely be at your productive best.
5. Choose a dedicated workspace; don’t try to work all day from bed because it makes you feel lazy.
6. Don’t stay at home all day. Go for a walk in your park or garden, step outside and breathe some fresh air.
7. Have social media interactions and online-only during free time as we have a tendency to watch and read the news or feeds and generally lose track of time.
8. Commit to doing more and use time wisely. You will actually end up doing more as you are saving time for regular commuting.
9. Work when you’re at your most productive. It could be in the early morning or late at night. I structure my day accordingly and keep my calls for the afternoon.
10. Use technology to stay connected with family, friends and teams.
11. Get kids into a schedule so your work plan can be managed with their schedule, though easier said than done.
12. Play some music in the background and work will be so much fun 😉
13. Take breaks after a long sitting and finish some household work in that break (like drying up laundry, washing dishes or chopping vegetables for dinner)
14. Spend some time with family and have fun. Take this as an opportunity to reboot.

Do share and let me know if you have any more tips and I will add them to the list with credits. Also, comment below if you want me to share more tips on anything else #workfromhometips