How To Manage Working From Home Effectively?

0:00 Hi, guys. I know all of us are working from home as parents, and we're trying to manage between work and children and family time and bonding time with our kids. But this is what I'm doing and this is kind of really, really working for me. First up, I have always been, you know, working from home has never been a new concept for me. It's always something that I've done ever since my kids were like, just born or I came back from the hospital, nursed their multitask.

0:29 So I have. I feel like I've kind learned this space and I've done it over the last seven years. So that's why you should trust me when you're watching this video. Now, first up, without taking too long, first of I'd say, is that make sure you have a demarcated space, which is cluttered or free, right? So I've got. This is the desk that I work on. I religiously come here and work and I think it's important to kind of have a demarcated space and not use the couch and then use the chair and then sitting in the dining space because it really distracts you and there are enough more distractions.

1:02 Tip number two, make sure that your work desk is squeaky clean because we have so many forwards, so many messages, it can be very, very distracting. So on my desk, I just have my laptop. I have a diary, which I write on my planner, which I know exactly what tasks I need to accomplish. A bottle of water because we all need to stay hydrated. A cup of warm water with some ginger to keep the immunity going.

1:25 My AirPods and a pencil. That's about it. Tip number three, communicate. Okay, make sure that you are communicating with your children and you tell them that, listen, Mama is home, but that does not mean she's away from work. They all know by now what is happening. And you know that we are in the midst of a pandemic and it's important to important for mummy and daddy to work. But please communicate to them. They should never feel like work is taking mama away from me.

1:51 That's the last thing that you want your work to kind of, you know, give an impression to your child. The next one up is make sure that you create work blocks and play blocks. I've been doing that for the last three days and it's worked brilliantly. Like, the kids know exactly what time to. What time is a work block for me and what time. What time is play time for them. And trust me, they will come.

2:16 So I typically work well in the mornings. So I've kept a work block from 8 to 10:30. Then I take a break from 10:30 to 11 and then again from 11 to 1 and then we break from 1 to 2:30 for lunch and a play block. So they know exactly that these are the hours that she's working. So it becomes so seamless. And you also do not go guilt tripping that oh my God, I'm not working, oh my God, I'm not working.

2:39 Oh my God, I'm spending so much time with my kids or the other way around that oh my God, I'm not spending any time with my kids. So this really, really works. So make sure that you create work blocks. The next step is that we make sure that, make sure that your kids have a routine. They know exactly what they're supposed to do when, because when they have a charted out timetable and it makes it a lot easier.

2:59 Like we've actually made slots of where they're supposed to wake up when they're supposed to brush, you know, watering the plants, give them chores to do which are like right around the house. Make sure that they're you know, helping in the kitchen or they're helping you with your work. Like my kids are actually helping me shoot this video right now. So that's, that's very interesting. So if you see like wobbles or you see the, see a little shaky, please pardon?

3:22 Because like it's at extreme extremely sweet to be recording a lot of videos for me while we are like self quarantined. So that's it. And make sure that if you, you know, we've also created play blocks for them. So this time is Lego or this time you want to play with a science, you know, you want to do an experiment or this is the time that you want to play these, these games and we try and get those games out the previous night.

3:45 So when I'm most productive, which is in the morning, we're not hunting for games because that can actually decrease your productivity, right? Everybody's screaming and shouting, I can't find this. I can't find this. So make sure that you're not doing that and you search for it in a time that will where you are less productive. Next one, you should stick to your routine. So because when you go off routine you need to understand that everything will slip, right?

4:11 So if you typically work well in the morning, which I do, I'm on my desk by about 8:39 and you know, I kind of like to use that part really well. So I get up, I do my yoga, I'm back at my desk at whatever time and then I try and end by 4:35 so then I can play with the kids after because this is also great time for bonding. So make sure that you stick to that routine because if you don't, then you know, you are likely to go a little off center which will not be very great because especially when you're working remotely, everybody needs to align to work at the same time because otherwise people will be stuck for approvals or they're waiting for something and you're not being able to.

4:49 Okay guys, last up. But this is one of the most important things is make sure that your kids are as much part of this. And it's okay to tell your clients or your team members if your kids pop in once in a while in the video conference that you're doing that it's okay because they're also at home. So do not SAP your energies in thinking, oh my God, like my kids were part of the video or why did they come into it?

5:13 Because I think at this moment everybody understands that your kids are also under quarantine. My kids also know my team members, they jump in into conference calls sometimes and you know, they, they sometimes kind of like you can literally see this, right? They, they make sure that, you know, they're also chatting with our team members and they say hi Janani, what's up? Or hi Ashna, what's up? So they'll always do that as well. And also if there's background noise, the kids are making noise, it's okay once in a while because you know, like I like Janni who has like a five month old baby, her baby sometimes cries and she'll come back and say, hey, you know, I'll just join you guys and that's okay.

5:55 Like do not SAP your energies at this point in time thinking, you know, oh my God, like why did she come in? So I think at this point in time everybody understand and agrees so be okay about it. I hope all these tips really, really help you and you know to be super productive working from home. And I wish you guys all the health and all the safety right now. See you guys.