So, You’ve got the Work from Home Blues
Last year, we all started hearing about this thing from China called The Corona Virus. At first, I laughed it off, thinking it was just another thing that the media was overreacting to. A month later, though, I realized that this was no joke; over two million adults and children have fallen victim. I have had family members in agony for the last weeks of their lives, only to ceremoniously die alone.
The quarantines and other preventive actions have caused longstanding businesses to cease to exist. COVID is turning out to be the worst thing I have witnessed in my lifetime. Also, I lost my mother to cancer last fall. I would love to be able to hibernate till it was all over. That, however, is not an option. Life goes on, and as a self-proclaimed remote work guru, I still want to help people improve their businesses and their lives; here are 5 ways I am dealing with the Work From Home Blues:
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Use systems to manage your daily tasks: Two systems I recommend are the Google Calendar and the Pomodoro System. Letting your calendar run your life is a great way to boost your productivity and boost your sanity. The Pomodoro system allows you to structure your schedule into sprints where breaks are built-in. Allowing your schedule to run your life sounds easy, but it takes a lot to break habits that have been around for years or even decades that it takes to do that. Some people also have limiting-beliefs such as "I need to be impulsive," which makes this more difficult. Don't forget about scheduling your sleep and meal breaks. -
Zoom Dance Parties: Much of the difficulty I am having is from being alone all day in my office working. I am in one room, and my wife is in another room working on our respective projects. Because Human beings are social creatures, we need the company of others to survive. I find others who are sitting in their home offices by themselves and have a Zoom Dance Party, where someone plays some music and we all dance. This adds the sense of community that I long for and also gives me some much-needed exercise. -
Personal Development: I have always been one to want to better myself. Fortunately, we live in an age where there are several low or no-cost religious and secular personal development programs. Go on YouTube, Google, or your favorite search engine and search for Guided Meditations. I just did and found over 10 million results. You can also take free or low-cost classes on sites like Coursera and Udemy. There is also professional development available. Check out my TOP TRAINING tab for some great professional development classes in some subjects that are very in demand. -
Get outdoors: Human beings need to spend time outdoors. I am assuming that you are a human being, so this means you! No, this doesn't mean you go to the Super bowl with thousands of people and catch COVID, but it does mean to go outside for a walk or to take a socially distanced walk along the beach. Outdoor gyms have been cropping up. You can avail yourself of these and get some fresh air and place your attention into the distance as a balance to the close-up work you have been doing. Sometimes, nothing works better to get rid of the Work from Home Blues than just getting outdoors and soaking in the sunlight. -
Gratitude and Forgiveness. There were times when you may not have behaved according to your standards during the pandemic. I myself have lashed out in anger over the situation. You nor I could have done anything to stop the circumstances of 2020. There is no quid pro quo in COVID or anything else that has happened. You doing well does not cause someone else to not do well. Allow yourself to grieve people you have lost and the reality that had existed before COVID. It's OK to acknowledge that you miss going to the game and wolfing down a hotdog and a beer. Missing being able to go on a happy hour with your teammates at work does not make you an evil person. You must be able to grieve the loss of people and the reality you had grown used to and remember to feel gratitude. I can imagine that there is still stuff in your life to feel grateful for
Yes, I have The Work from Home blues, and I imagine I am not the only one. If you have gotten this far, I suspect that you are another with The Work from Home Blues. Resistance to it is futile. Our old reality is not coming back and these times, IMHO, suck! However, life goes on despite the Work from Home Blues; Life doesn't even care that you are blue! If you need to talk to someone, give me a holler! I have helped others to thrive even with the Work from Home Blues.
I want to see my friends happy so I am providing a no-charge 30 minute discovery session to help you lick your work from home blues. To book your Discovery Session and lick your work from home blues: click here. I am here to help, so remember to book your session