How to make ‘Work From Home’ work?

The outbreak of coronavirus has turned life upside down in a blink of the eye. 

Even before we could fathom the reality of this adversity, the fatal flu flustered our lives. 

With no definite cure and prevention at hand, the only way to win the war against COVID-19 was social distancing. The government acted proactively and the entire nation entered into lockdown in a state of shock.

The markets were locked down, schools closed the gates, malls shut down, shops went dead. Travel routes got locked. And offices drifted to ‘work from home’ module. And all this happened in a flash!

Also Read: Are you struggling to strike the perfect work-life balance?

Work from home – Far from the fantasy!

Honestly, ‘Work from home’ always seemed like a dream, that’s too good to be true. No commute. Flexible timing. No restrictions. Home-cooked food. Working in pyjamas and handling a few household chores. 

And for those with kids, they can be with their kids 24/7

Life could not get better!

Well, that’s what you thought!

While all of this is true, work from home during a pandemic is far from a fantasy. Especially for parents with hyperactive kids whose energy just cease to exhaust. As such working can become a real task.

Work from Home with the invisible load of motherhood!

No one is more stressed than a mother with her kid jumping all around while she strives hard to concentrate on her work. With no access to house help, babysitters, playdates, park time and school time, ‘work from home’ may fail to work! 

Not to forget the deluging household work that breaks upon the woman of the house. From cleaning to cooking to feeding and caring the day passes by in a snap. And even if she manages to sneak some time for work by sacrificing her sleep, her mind is already drained. 

Strong working women that I have known for years are on the verge of a collapse. Even many men are enduring the same crisis. The panic of this pandemic coupled with the burden of household chores and professional commitments is setting them on distress. 

In the past couple of days, I have received more calls and messages than I can count from professionals grinding between their office time and home time!

Find the problems to fix the problems!

In the past few days, I have conducted extensive sessions over the phone with working men and women majorly from the IT sector. And in all these sessions, I was able to note down the prime areas of the problem.

Here is what my notepad reads:

• Trouble staying focused on work.
• Feeling guilty for not keeping up.
• Keeping track of time.
• Trying to stay sane.
• Deteriorating performance capacity.
• Frequent Breaks because of family.
• Feeling pulled in different directions.
• Constantly switching roles.
• Keeping kids quiet for calls and meetings.
• Meeting your child’s emotional needs.
• Engaging the child while limiting their screen time.
• Constant Distractions because of social media and news.
• Prioritizing everything else while work accumulates.

Serving the solutions – Teachings from an Ayurvedic Doctor!

The solutions that I offered in most of these calls have a lot to do with the mental wiring. That’s why I say that these are the teachings from an Ayurvedic doctor. These are the lessons that I have personally picked up throughout this endearing journey with Ayurveda.

1. Create a practical time-schedule

The first thing in approaching this new lifestyle is to stay practical. Working for 8-9 hours from a home set-up in this condition might not be feasible. So, take out a pen and paper and note your daily routine. 

This will help you in finding pockets of time that you can utilize efficiently. May be eliminating things that are not absolutely necessary or shuffling the jobs a bit can work wonders. 

E.g. See if you can adjust with cleaning the house every alternate day. Stick to simple meals that don’t take much time to cook. Engage your kids while doing household chores. Little adjustments can bring you the boon of time!

2. Plan your day to play it productive

In this crisis, it is just planning that can fuel up your productivity. Plan your day, but keep it flexible. Don’t let changes make you frustrated. Because if you are dealing with a kid or stuck in a pandemic, then trust me all your plans could go down the flush in one cry. And that’s Ok!

We are in a national health emergency! And falling apart is inevitable. So, start each day with a new note and try hard to keep up. But go to bed satisfied no matter what. It was a blessed day because you survived!

Prepare a list of To-do tasks. And try to strike through as many tasks as possible on the list. Don’t take up household tasks on weekdays that can wait till the weekend. Try to keep your schedule as close as possible to your office days. 

3. Ditch the distractions

More than your child or the household chores, it’s the addiction to digital media that eats up your time. Bingeing on a series or just checking the phone every five minutes, sips valuable time from your schedule.

Digital distraction is the biggest thing that can drive you insane. Staying hooked on the screen all day will make you cranky and exhausted. It will mess up with your brain and can cause severe mental problems in the long run.

While working on your laptop, keep your phone away from the table. And keep it in silent mode. Check it in an hour for important messages or calls. But avoid the constant urge to check your phone. 

You can also login WhatsApp messenger from your laptop. So, that way you won’t miss important messages from your colleagues or boss.

4. Walk according to the clock

If you are able to beat the lethargy and keep up with the clock then you have already won the day. Sleeping sluggishly till noon will mess the day ahead. So, try to wake up on your regular timing, and start the day on a positive note!

Having finished most of the tasks before the day begins, will leave you well prepared. It will take off the mental burden of running late or having unfinished tasks. Plus, you will find ample time to dedicate to work. 

Also, announce your new working hours to your family. They will consider not disturbing you during your work time. This way you will have more effective work hours even if they are for a short stretch.

5. Keeping up with the mother’s tag

The most difficult of all is keeping up with your child. Children are more understanding than you think. So, rather than giving them excuses and false hopes, try to explain the truth to them.

Tell them how the world is fighting the pandemic. How people are coping up. How everyone is struggling. How you are juggling. And what role can your child play in making the world a better place? Explain things to your kids and see the change in their behaviour. 

And if you are living with a toddler then you just have to hunt safe ways to keep them engaged. Give them the things that you use for regular activities. Give them cleaning towels, utensils, clothes. Watch them spend the day trying hard to imitate you. 

Innovate new ways to pass each day without giving the gadgets to your kid. Keep the screen time, not more than 2 hours in the day!

Wrapping it up!

It’s not easy and everyone understands this. The mental trauma of this pandemic, the panic, the disrupted lives and then the deluge of workload. Things are getting gloomy. So, the only thing you need to focus on is staying sane and positive.

Don’t think about yesterday’s guilt or tomorrow’s uncertainties. Live one day at a time!

If you survived today then you are blessed.