It’s no news that miss Rona is in town. And part of the requirements of avoiding miss Rona’s wrath is social distancing. What this means is that if your company or industry can afford to, they have probably issued a work from home statement.
Alas, we all know we live in a peculiar place with peculiar problems (did someone at the back shout Nepa, Politicians, and Healthcare?). So, what do you need to effectively work from home and not lose your source of income?
Hop in.
It’s very important to continue the same morning rituals even when working from home.
Usual drag yourself out of bed – check.
Cry about adulting in the shower – check.
Wear cloth and spray perfume – check.
It’s crucial that even when you are working from home you maintain the same morning routine because this shifts your brain from rest mode to work mode. Also, getting a dedicated space which is not your bed or room to work from counts. These things help significantly boost your productivity.
Open a mini-filling station.
Three things are certain in life: Death, Taxes, and Nigeria disappointing you. The form it takes, in this case, is in the form of Nepa. It is just out of self-preservation to have copious amounts of petrol that can be safely stored on stand by. This is to make sure all your gadgets are sufficiently charged for work. To be fore-warned is to be fuel-armed.
Do what you have struggled to do with your Nigerian parents – Establish boundaries.
Because of the absence of traffic to remind you that you are going to work and re-remind you that you are done for the day, it’s easy to fall down a rabbit hole. This means spending more time working than you usually would. You can end up working from morning till the next day and ruining your already almost ruined work-life balance. Set an alarm for closing time and also buy a whistle. Once the alarm rings, blow the whistle like referees do to signal the end of a match. It’s important to establish a boundary and find balance.
Keep up with office gist.
Don’t let working out of the office stop you from hearing sweet gist. Since everyone is working from wherever that is not the office, there’s no chance for lunch banter and elevator gist. Fix this by keeping in touch via Slack, Zoom, or whatever channel you communicate with at work. Keeping in touch can help with isolation that comes from working alone. Also, don’t let remote work kill your office husband/wife romance.
Finally, say hi to your nosey neighbour.
Every morning, you dash out only to return late at night. Now is the time to get to know your neighbours who have probably been wondering why you think you are better than them. Take regular intervals from work to go outside and stretch and maybe say hi to your neighbours (If you shake them, wash your hands with soap and clean water oh). A change of scenery can help with the fatigue that comes from being in the house all day.
How prepared are you for the Coronavirus? Take this quiz to find out, and don’t forget to share it with people who need to see it.
