How do you stay motivated?
Week one is done — in Germany.
Most of us had a challenging week with the new #socialdistancing approach to Covid-19. The number of infected people is growing, and the quarantine measures are becoming increasingly serious. To protect other people and ourselves: We need to stay inside, we need to stay home.
So, what about work? Many of us now work from home.
This is certainly initially an unreal or perhaps even comfortable situation. Having a conference call and being able to start the laundry at the same time. Sounds pretty great, right?
Well, after the first few days at home it becomes clear that working from home requires discipline and structure. And people are individually good at this.
[And I cannot speak for the many families who now have to balance looking after their children full-time and replace (pre-)school. Here just a quick shout-out to you: stay positive! You are great.]
So — we need ideas!
A colleague from work put together his shared idea of #virtualcoffee. It replaces the ususal gatherings in the kitchen at work and helps to keep the emotional connection between colleagues.
Social distancing is not only a safety measure, but also a chance for a change of perspective: It’s not #socialdistance, but physical distance with virtual proximity.
But the next question is: How do you stay motivated if you work from home?
Here are some thoughts:
1. Get a morning routine — if you take time for what is good for you and what gives you joy, you will start the day awake and in a good mood!
2. Plan time for your breaks — in times of video conferences and phone calls in a row, take a break and distance yourself from the digital stuff for a while.
3. Stretch and change your position — Physical health is extremely important. Therefore: even dance at home!
4. Write a (physical) journal — it helps to keep your mind clear and focused if needed.
5. Put together a working playlist and an after-work playlist — music makes happy and it’s motivational to get the right tune for your tasks.
Do you have any other ideas on how to stay motivated?
Please let me know in the comments — I’ll put together a series of idea slides with our common thoughts for us.
Stay healthy — stay inside!
And be kind to each other.
