How to be productive when working from home

Welcome to the Project Mindset Podcast, where we combine the science of project management and transformational leadership. I am your host, Thea Brockmeyer, project expert, international leadership mindset coach for top executives, and trusted advisor to business owners for over 20 years. My goal is helping you stepping up from being an expert to becoming the leader that makes big projects happen, seeing your infinite potential, achieving the results in business and life that your heart desires. Thank you so much for spending some time with me today. Let's begin now.

Hello, hello, my wonderful friends. Today we are talking about how it is to work from home. Are you being asked to work from home due to that virus that is completely spreading all over the world and risking our health and of so many our friends and other people.

Now it's proven that if we are strict at home and isolation, we can stop it. So it does probably sound even pretty cool first. Now we can be at home, you can watch Netflix the whole night, and first we can be with our loved ones. You have been waiting for this opportunity maybe a long time, and now you're so happy to be at home. From home.

But it's a lot harder than it seems to be productive and get things done.

Why I'm telling this? I'm a mother, I have two kids, and I have been working from home or from hotel rooms. So for those people who are able to work from home and are asked to do that, for those I have prepared this podcast, and as well for any entrepreneur who starts his own business, right? Or for the project leader who is thinking of, wow, I'm in the beautiful location and now I can do— because I have the environment, I can do whatever I wanted to do. There are several challenges coming up with that working from home, and in this episode, let's talk about 10 challenges and how you can overcome them and boost your productivity and get things done from home working remotely. So step number 1 is start the day on your terms. You really need to have some kind of morning routine that makes you feel energized and gives you the faith that you are getting your own stuff done. My routines have changed over the times and there is no right or wrong routine, But I strongly recommend you have a routine. What am I practicing at the moment? That is, yeah, waking up, 2 minutes visualizing some beautiful things of the future. Then I do the gratitude exercise either in my mind or I use the 5-Minute Journal from Intelligent Change. I really love it. And then I drink water, if I have, with lemon. Walking the dog in the morning before 7:00 and enjoying the beautiful sunrise and the mountains. Then I have a green tea and then I have some yoga stretching or exercise. And then, you know, shower and getting dressed. And then I make my coffee or cappuccino depending. And planning the day. That's kind of coffee, cappuccino, having my productivity planner or I plan my day. And I will share more how I do that. If I don't do that even in the evening before.

But minimum I have my key priorities. There is as well something I do in the mornings. If I have a lot of ideas and I have some creative work to do, I write down in a journal all the ideas. Because in the morning with that fresh mind, A lot of ideas come and ladies and gentlemen, believe me, they don't come back. It's like an energy that flows through our brain and we have to capture them. It's like we are— if you go fishing or whatever— so we have to capture these ideas so they can serve us. And they don't just come accidentally because they're coming, they're there to serve us. We don't have to implement and we don't have to act on them. But write them down. It could be an idea like you should call somebody or you should follow up something. Write it just down in a parking lot into your journal. Your journal can be online, offline, whatever you use. And then, only then, I start checking emails and messages and making my first calls. I highly recommend you just not roll out of your bed and get onto your laptop or just open one eyelid and answer your first email. Do not really start your workday in bed answering the emails because that will drain your energy. This is even more likely as you don't know— don't have to go out of your home now and move to your office. So please make sure you really set up yourself for success. And I just can say it's really, really important to have enough energy and not getting into the victim mode. And one comment: don't listen to the news and don't look to the corona stats in the morning, not even in the shower. So really think about positive things that you want to create what you want to do. That is my tip of the day. Now, and here comes as well step number 2: get dressed for success. Getting out of the pajamas, putting pants on really is a challenge when you're working from home. It's so convenient to stay in your whatever, yeah, walk the dog clothes or in your yoga pants or in your pajamas. But believe it or not, How you dress for success, even when you don't have to report to the office or show up in a video conference, it fills your energy. It makes a big difference when you sit and shine online, and that will help you to approach your day and your task, any task you do, with much more ambition. It's like you are a movie star and step into that role, right? So see yourself, and that makes the big difference. Yeah, when you're thinking now about your morning routine from tomorrow, because it's in the evening, maybe you put also something to wear and plan your day for tomorrow. So you really get it easy step out of your yoga pants, right? Step number 3: Choose a designated workplace. So it's really important to have a desk at home. And be creative. I know not everybody has a home office. If you have one, it's fantastic. But for a lot of you, it will be obvious: the dining room table or the kitchen table or something near— yeah, maybe even just a board you put near to the windows. So if you don't have it, you, you should look for a space and where you can get really into the mood and to the zone of work.

At home.

That little place will be your new office. So you would love to have to place something that gives that the office feeling, what you need there. Maybe it's just your pen and your laptop and maybe a camera or whatever you have to do your video calls. And ideal, it's a room you can close the door So you have no people and no animals disturbing you. Animals, I mean little dogs sleeping or little cats walking on your desk, right? So look for an option to sit really with your desk in front of the window where you can put all the things you need. And when you have the window in front of you, this natural light that comes onto your face will make you shine if you have video meetings. And clean up the background a little so you shine even more. Even if we are in the kitchen or in another room, it gives a good impression. And that will be more than most of the people do. So you need to make a good impression even if you are at home, right? Then make sure your TV is not in that same room because that's really a hard thing to resist. I tried it. I really tried it. I wasn't in the mood. I thought, "Oh, now I can relax. It's just something easy, admin work, and beside I can just have watching a nice movie. So I have the feeling I'm in holiday mood." I tried that in hotels. I tried that at home. Even sometimes with Netflix, some cool serials. I understood that I don't get anything done. I watched the movie like not even enjoyed it so much because I tried to focus on some whatever admin work and then there were a lot of typos and mistakes and nothing was done. So I rather say let's make 1 hour conscious decision to enjoy a movie, maybe do some exercise stretching doing that and then going back and concentrated work on my computer. Yeah, so play, please, and pretend that you are walking into your office. Imagine yourself sitting at your desk and that table is your office desk where you're going really to do things and you can step into the zone of concentrated work. Now comes step number 4, that is make your list of priorities. Whatever nice desk you find in your place, put there flowers or whatever you do. You may be in the position where you have to do a lot of chatting, do using WhatsApp, Slack, or writing emails, constantly checking, uh, whatever WhatsApp or other messages you use, or being on Skype or Zoom to talk to the team and see what they're doing and what what do they need, but if you don't have a list of your priorities, it's so easy that all these things and all the additional distractions at home keep you from doing the things that you have actually to get done.

So the list of priorities is also very useful for the fact that when you sit down for work, it's easy to forget the fact that we are working right now and not doing homework like You know, cleaning pantry, cooking, playing with the kids. You see so many things you want to do and have to do, and you could be busy all day, believe me, without getting anything done. So find a way that you can clock in and clock out for work at home so that you can really get things done. Try to make 3 or 5 priorities. I put one major priority and then two others and then some sub-priorities in the morning. And if you have them written down in whatever tool you use, it helps you really to push through the daily moments. Even if you don't look at those again, but once you have them written down, it's kind of like programming a like a computer program and helps me getting those things done, even though sometimes I make more on my list than I want, you know. So it's like magically, usually. It's like a program. All the universe is supporting me on getting these priority things done.

But once you have a lot of to-dos beside that priorities, I really highly recommend you use the calendar scheduling because there is one thing we have just all together the same, that's our time. And you are not getting everything done. Your list will be unending. And that's why scheduling the time for things you would like to get done is so important. So I highly recommend first you eat that frog like Brian Tracy says. So the, the thing you don't like to do, the phone call you don't like to do, do that in the morning. And when it's over, it's such a relief. But then please block working hours in your calendar. And if you think that time management is the main issue that's holding you back from being productive, now we have a time management course, right? And you can get that. Just send us a DM or write an email to hello@projectleaderacademy.com. But I recommend you set yourself, get yourself a planner or download planning sheet we have on our website for free. Get a Google Calendar. And Google Calendar I love because it gives nice reminders. But you can as well use Outlook if you're in a corporation and set yourself reminders like for meetings so you don't miss anything. It's like, "And in 10 minutes you have a meeting," you know, or put some countdown, whatever you use. If you have control and just start getting control over what needs to get done, and you get step-by-step little results, even if you don't get everything done, it makes you a kind of— gives you a cool feeling. You will really have a feeling you accomplished something. The feeling of getting results. And that gives you strength, that gives you confidence, that makes you kind of even happiness, brings you joy, endorphins. And I highly encourage you, make your results visible and check them off, and it boosts your confidence. And we grow as leaders. It's magic. So use calendar scheduling. Um, and then number 6, create a real human interaction and avoid getting cabin fever. So some of you have too many human interactions at home, and others are really very, very lonely. So here are some tips if you are really alone. And being alone, as a contrast to being around all the people in the office, can be hard. Maybe the first day not, the second day not, but if you're just in chats and via email remotely and do not have even to get on the calls with your team, then it's really great to have a daily coffee chat. How about that? Like 15 minutes a day with your team members where you just feel like interacting with each other, like you have been in the office. And that's a great way to have a connection, and you can let people know how you care about them, and you can learn what are they going through in this time period. Here are some more ideas to interact in small video chats online and have a little fun. So I already mentioned the 15-minute coffee chat online with your team. You can schedule that, for example, and everybody comes with his cappuccino. This is what we do in our team. Then you do the online cocktail party. I just yesterday learned where you dress up and have favorite drinks showing up, right? So the aperitivo. Or you can create a team music playlist and share good vibes with your team. What I really like to have, online yoga classes where the whole team gets new energy in the midday. What is as well great, sharing video and FaceTime with your loved ones to have a little online accountability for deep dives a silent work time. You can do that with a colleague. Let's say she's working and she has her Zoom on, and he's working and has his Zoom on. So you see each other, but then you say, okay, let's do 25 minutes, which is a good time slot, or 20 minutes deep dive work, or 30 minutes. But don't make an hour. It's just, you know, 30 minutes everybody can do. And switch your phone off, at least put it silent, and then, you know, maximum you have a 5-minute delay when you have to call back to somebody. And then create a Facebook group or some community where you are all together. But Facebook is a risk because, you know, there's so much distraction. So we use Kajabi for that. Then create a project Instagram account. That is cool as well if you love Instagram and have a closed account. So where you don't scroll out that. Go for a daily walk. Yeah, and that is something, you know, some ideas. And maybe you can post and send us some new ideas of what do you do to create real human interaction and avoid getting your cabin fever. So yeah, I'm curious to learn to know more. What do you do? Because I think we are very creative, and I hope that list inspires you. Now, number 7: Keep your communication lines open. You will really have issues with your communication at home and with your team and your staff and your clients and your suppliers and with your employer, who had never worked in such a situation before and who probably goes through periods like, 'Oh, are they even doing anything right now?' Because they can't see you and they're not used to that, right? It's scary. So keep up those communication lines, no matter— open, no matter what you're really using, whether you're using Skype, WhatsApp, Zoom, whatever. You know, I don't want to make advertising here, but the tools, it's really important. So, but as well, Communicate with your significant other and your children, your family, your friends who need to understand that you are at home but you have work to do. And that might be really confusing to them if you cannot just expect that they, seeing you sitting there, understanding that you are at home but you have no time to hang out with them and you have no time for house cleaning or whatever they have in their mind. And do as much communication as you can. And I think it's a great, great opportunity, even if you're introvert, to become a clear communicator and stepping up as a leader to say all our words with compassion, with empathy, to improve all that. The how we say things, right? And to manage our emotions and to tell ourselves that first of all we have to be a leader and step up as a leader and to manage our emotions, especially to make our loved ones feeling good about the situation. Now, when we make everybody feel good around us, Imagine how that will allow us to focus on our work and all the endorphins which are supporting. Imagine you're on a high-flying disc or you're like, you know, in love. When we are in love with the people and in love with the work and we're making a game out of it, it's so much more energy that we bring into it. Yeah, when we are in love, everything flows, and that energy is still flowing without corona. So, plan lunch and coffee breaks. How long can you work concentrated? In the last 20 years, I learned that's a good rule to plan 20-minute, 30-minute sessions instead of 60 to 90 minutes. We might not get finished, but we get 80% done in 30 minutes as well as in 60 minutes, right? There is something like a Parkinson's law that means that we'll need as much time for a task as we take it or dedicate to that task. So if you feel like you're procrastinating, then ask yourself, "Why I'm not getting concentrated on that topic?" Maybe you feel that your work is not— you are not doing good enough work, you are not able to do it. Maybe you are confused or you fear rejection. Trust your intuition, do what you can, and then, you know, after 20 minutes— you maximum lost 20 minutes going into the wrong direction— ask for feedback. Maybe you sit there and you're tired because you were watching Netflix, or maybe you just need a nap. So taking a shower or a nap or a walk in between can boost your energy and your concentration. As well, like the 5-minute sleep. Have you ever heard of that? You are sitting in your— like a power nap, you're sitting in your chair, or even you may go to the bed, but you have a little ball in your hand or the key, the keys in your hand, and, you know, 5 minutes, and when you're deep falling asleep, the key or the ball falls down. And it's a big noise and you wake up and then suddenly, okay, this 5-minute deep sleep helped you to get some fresh ideas on something where you got stuck. So you can as well do dancing, but don't do it to music as a break, but make it as a breakdance and not have the music or TV on and staring just like for 60 minutes to the computer. From the computer screen. You will be really surprised how much distractions we can get into. So plan a lunch break and not have your lunch next to your computer or your coffee just next to the computer. Walk, or walk every 10 minutes to the fridge for a snack to compensate your awkward feelings. Use really special time for meal preparation. Make that, prepare the table, start enjoying that like, you know, you're in a restaurant. Pretend and celebrate that little part of your lifestyle as a contrast to your working lifestyle more consciously. So there's so much inspiration about healthy foods, and maybe you even track what you eat once you're at home, because I observed there are stuff I get tired and there's stuff that gives me energy to concentrate. Number 9: Agree your schedule with your family and friends. People might be thinking, really, why she's not responding. The assumptions your brain can come up with fear, you know, and your children just want to have your attention and so they come and disturb you by showing what they build and what they've drawn and your family wants a decision right now what to have for lunch in the middle in the middle of a call. So be prepared to show up calm as a cool leader and prepare some, even maybe smile or some signals, and show compassion for their urge and their needs. And get some rules of the game, establish some rules. So for the housekeeping, so your family knows how to deal when with you, when they have an urgent need and you are busy as well. And plan space for everybody so everybody has some privacy and you can meet for coffee breaks, for lunch breaks, for the daily walk. So they feel when it's time and not to be permanently present. And that will be really helping you and your family to have less friction and less conflicts. You can draw a plan for your kids so they know when you have to do something and when you meet for coffee as well. So that is something which works really, really well. And there is much more. Please share below what are your tips to make a schedule with family and friends in these times when we are online or separated or together, all together. And here comes the last, number 10: Let's help each other. So not everybody copes with being alone these days. Many of us are scared, facing crisis in business and health. So show compassion and ask where you can help. I really have just to say thank you for everybody who is helpful to me, to my parents, to my children. To my friends. And I've been calling up a lot of people, a lot of clients, and I receive a lot of nice messages as well. But I as well observe that, for example, the neighborhood of my parents, they said no, I should not go there. They will take care of and they will do the shopping, the groceries, and that's really beautiful. So stay really in your area, stay with the people you are together. So don't transmit that virus. I don't, you know, I would just want to protect my parents as well.

And we are checking up daily.

How are they feeling? How are they doing? And I learned from my sister that they are doing, they're opening all the windows at a certain time of the day and switching on the music. All the neighbors so that everybody who is alone in their house feels like there is life around them. It's not that silent. And they switch on the music and they clap and wave to each other. And they have created a joint Facebook, I think WhatsApp group, so they're communicating and sharing and becoming social. And when help is needed, it's easy then to ask, "Do you have a banana? Do you have an egg? Or can you help me?" Right? So let me know how me and my team can help you right now with a course, with some special training we can create for you. And we will become creative, and we are here to help you as well online. So if you have questions, it could be all related to leadership, everything related to project management, we are here. We have a little more time, so send a DM on Instagram, Project Leader Academy, Or just email us here to hello@projectleaderacademy.com. And it's really, yeah, whatever we can serve you, we will be happy to support you. And sure, our training courses and training experiences, we will work on them and we will give you special offers for these times as well. And we learned that There is a lot of opportunity and the challenge today to do team building online. So we are bringing our really signature experiences offline now into the online world.

Hey!

So how can we help you? Put your questions there. And from the bottom of my heart, I wish you stay healthy, take care of your families, take it serious, don't be scared. There will be something new. There will be new projects. And there will be new ideas. And there will be new business ideas. And if you want to learn something in that time or prepare yourself, at least we want to share faith. Faith in yourself and believe we will be fine. Thank you so much for being here today. For listening. And waiting for connecting with you. Thank you so much.

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