The world gets ready to fight the chaos induced by Corona. Curfews, lockdowns and the dreaded death count are things that most people are talking about. The family, friends and other whatsapp groups are buzzing with messages all about Covid 19, nothing else.
It is hard to think about anything else and get on with life. But professionals need a way to figure out ways to continue adding value to their days. They need to figure out ways to get things rolling. Most of the people are now finding themselves working from home. It’s unusual for the majority to work from home though.
So, people need to plan new ways & focus hard to get things moving again. Here’s a quick look at how you can get things done:
1. Focus on Deliverables
“The true test of a man’s character is what he does when no one is watching.”
John Wooden
Focus on your tasks for your day and set a target to complete things. Discuss with your manager or supervisor on the day to day tasks and give yourself to completing things. Time doesn’t wait for anyone, businesses will have a hard time in the next 6 months. What you’re doing today will matter tomorrow.
People who are able to complete and finish off their tasks with quality are able to make a difference in the long run.
2. Be Responsive
Be available and responsive all the time. If you’re working from home, communicate proactively. Don’t just sit back and wait for your manager to ping you all the time. Working from home is not the same as office work. You need to communicate at a higher frequency and ensure continuity of your work.
It is also prudent to let your manager know any downtime at your end. Your responses need to be prompt, unless the reasons are communicated in advance.
3. Organise Your Workspace
Organise your workspace at home to be free from interruptions. Working from home is not a vacation time. It’s the opposite. Managers and supervisors will be more concerned due to the sheer impact of Corona on the business. They will expect you to shoulder responsibility and take care of things at your end.
Organize your space to avoid disturbance from your family, friends, mobile and TV. Let your family members know your priorities. You can spend time with them at lunch or breakfast, but the rest of the time you can focus on your important tasks. Snacking all the time, working with interruptions, baby care and doing everything at once will be a recipe for disaster.
4. Stay Safe
Take care of yourself and your family. You need to follow the guidelines and precautions, but do not go too much into the suggestions on whatsapp and news. Watching time spending news and discussing Corona all the time will only sap your energy. It won’t be productive for you.
Take all precautions you can and get on with your routines to move forward with your life. There is no other way. The situation may get worse from here. But you need to have a forward looking attitude. Take care of basic stuff for yourself and your family. After that you need to figure out ways to do your day to day work with full efficiency and focus.
5. Accountability
“I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took an excuse.”
Florence Nightingale
Take accountability of what you are doing. In situations like the one induced by Coronavirus, you can let your guard down & take things easy. But this will not help. Your quality of work shouldn’t suffer. You should take care of your work and take full responsibility for what you’re doing. It becomes even more important, if there is no one to review things and monitor you all the time.
6. Work Without Supervision
People who can work without supervision are considered self driven and leaders. The downtime and work from home period is being assessed by top leaders. When you shine amidst all the chaos, your work gets noticed and recognized.
You can give all the excuses, blame everything and everyone around you. But it won’t take you anywhere. Ultimately, you need to figure out to get the things moving & work without any external pressure.
Infact, some of the top professionals are really enjoying this period to learn and master things on a deeper level. They are able to give uninterrupted time and work in a flow.
7. Innovative Ideas
Work from home gives you ample opportunities to look at things from a different perspective. Your mind is free and you can think of new ways to do things. You are free from chore and routine tasks associated with going to the office. You have all the time, attention and energy to think of innovative ideas.
Top professionals are able to spend time learning new skills, ideas and ways to do their work better. They use this time to come up with innovative suggestions for improving the products or services to take things to the next level.
With the work from home, things can be less formal than always. It is a great way to relay your suggestions and inputs on important things. Take Initiative to suggest new things that can help your project & your company.
8. Quality Stands Out
“Excellence is to do a common thing in an uncommon way.”
Booker T. Washington
A lot of professionals who get ahead learn to use their time to deliver outstanding work, especially when no one is watching. They learn to produce quality and make this a habit. They deliver quality, which stands out and helps them progress in their careers.
The impact of Corona will have a dampening effect on the business, nations and economy. This will not be going away in a hurry. There will be hard realities that the world will have to face. Top professionals know that they can use this time to get attention by delivering excellence. They know this is a time to be brave, lead from the front and do whatever it takes to produce top quality.
9. Sharpen Skills
You can use the work from home to your advantage by learning new skills in alignment with your work. You can let your manager know about this too. If you can learn a skill that will help you do your tasks more effectively, build better products or services and add value, your company will value it.
Sharpening your skills will help you progress and develop your career. Times like these are used by companies and managers to figure out the team members who have leadership potential. These are team members who can be entrusted with bigger responsibilities, because they worry about their projects, company and do things to improve them at every given opportunity.
