Working in the brave new world of DC

That’s “During Covid-19”; hopefully we’ll be “AC” soon (After Covid-19)

I’ve been spreading so much doom and sadness it’s time to make amends.

OK, here’s some tips and advice from a person that’s been working from home for 20 years.

1.  You will get a LOT more done at home than you do at work – if you are disciplined.  Fewer people to chat with, run into in the hall, and engage in non-work conversations means more time – and more ability to focus.
2. Keep your cell phone on the charger, and use a wireless headset.  That way you won’t run out of battery, and you can pace around while you are on the phone. You’ll find that is way better then sitting at a desk or table – and way healthier too. Put that headset on the charger whenever you aren’t using it.
3. Turn the email off for several periods during the day so you can focus on the task at hand. Unless you’re waiting on a time-critical email, being off the grid for an hour or so at a time isn’t a problem.
4. Prioritize your tasks – now that you have more control over your daily work, make very sure that you do the stuff that’s important first. As a former professor told me many times, “Do the important stuff, THEN the urgent.”  Best way I’ve found is to write a list, then number them in order of importance – and stick to it.
5. Don’t worry about background noise from dogs, kids, partner or spouse. We are all in the same situation.
6. Respect those directly affected by COVID-19 and preparations for same. They may not have time for idle chitchat, when they ask for something it’s probably important, and they are really stressed.

Finally, it’s entirely okay to call people and talk business, ask for things to get done, check on progress, and otherwise carry on. This will pass, and in the meantime life has to go on.

What does this mean for you?

There’s a lot to be said for getting back to “normal” even when that “normal” is different than it was last week.