Francesca Searle

It can be testing to try and keep everyone in positive spirits while working from home during these uncertain times. A good way to keep morale, values and focus up is to have regular zoom huddle meetings with your whole team, this will also help to keep everyone feeling connecting and engaged.

These are just a few tips on how to keep yourself and your team sane while working from home during the New Zealand lockdown:

  1. Create a simple daily plan – This doesn’t have to be a strict schedule, but without any plan you’ll end up just working out of your inbox and getting easily distracted by anything and everything.
  2. Start with a clean workspace – Notice we didn’t say “keep your workspace perfectly clean all of the time.” It’s ok to let your workspace get messy while you’re in the thick of it. But try to tidy it up every evening so you have a fresh start in the morning which will help you focus.
  3. Eat your meals away from your desk – It’s tempting to bring your lunch to your desk and just keep working, but forcing yourself to step away from your screen is a healthy break.
  4. ‍ ‍ Walk around while on non-video calls – Try getting up and walking around while you’re on phone calls, it will help to stretch and be more engaged on the calls. It can also be helpful to take a notebook and pen with you to jot down notes away from your screen.
  5. Drink water – We all know we should be drinking water throughout the day, but it’s easy to forget. To aid this try to keep a dedicated water glass or bottle always in front of you. It makes a big difference in keeping the habit of staying hydrated.
  6.  Get outside – Fresh air does wonders for the brain and body, even if it’s just a few minutes. Go for a walk or play with the kids outside at least a little bit each day. Also, if you’re feeling stuck or unproductive, just going outside can be the spark you need to get going again.

Side note: Give yourself grace during this time if you’re feeling guilty about not being as productive as normal. These are stressful, uncertain times and it’s ok to take some extra space to just be and not focus on work.