Coronavirus - Tips for Working from Home

Work from home they said. It will be fun they said. You can do what you like they said. For some like myself, working from home is business as usual, for others, it's like the holy grail they get to indulge in once in a blue moon, and globally, a vast majority are now thrust into it whether they like it or not.

Why this Subject?

I've been a Flexible Working Implementation Consultant since 2003. This means going into organisations to help enable staff to work both remotely from other locations, and from home, and over the past 17 years has included everything from working with architects and builders as they rip down walls to redesign spaces, through to working with ergonomic designers, sourcing technology, and briefing organisations from the top down about the practical and psychological implications.

Marilyn Devonish Press Coverage

I have written a number of articles on the subject of remote and flexible working. You can find a selection of them here, together with links to Podcast interviews. Go to: https://flexibleworking.brizy.site/

Tips for Working from Home

I have chosen 5 impactful yet easy to implement tips from my basic 25 Point Working from Home Plan.

1. Get Dressed

If you were one of the thousands of people thrust into working from home as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, self-isolation, and lockdown, and are new to working at home, particularly if you come from an environment where they get dressed for work, as opposed to a ‘dress down Friday’ approach, I suggest getting dressed even though you are working at home. It has both a physical and psychological ‘uniform’ effect.

2. Set Boundaries

When working from home, particularly if you are self-isolation with family, set boundaries. If it disturbs the flow of your day, don’t take unsolicited calls or have people virtually pop in for impromptu chats.

3. Trying

If you’re not self-motivated, look and listen out for ‘trying.’ When people say there is something they will “try” to do, and are then left to their own devices, those things tend not to get done. The psychology around this relates to both linguistic and strategy, so it’s important to notice unproductive patterns. Get in touch if you would like strategies to have your mind work with and for you, rather than against you.

4. Work Space

It's useful to have designated work spaces at home. Number one, you get ‘anchored’ into those spaces, and are strategically more ready to work when you enter them. Number 2, it provides a clearer demarcation of both your home life/space, and working day.

5. Get Undressed

If you got dressed for work, get undressed when you’re done, otherwise your work and home life can blend into one. Not doing so can leave you feeling as though the days blend into one, and can also interrupt your sleep patterns. (If you’ve noticed you are having vivid or strange dream, check out my newspaper article at the end of this Blog.

There are other things such as Boundary Lines, Scoping the Work, State Control, How to Set Your Focus, etc, however the tips above are a good starting point when it comes to creating productive habits.

Marilyn Devonish in the Media

A few of my media interviews and articles about flexible, smart and remote working are below.

The New Rules for Remote Recruiting, The Guardian Newspaper: https://www.theguardian.com/the-abcs-of-recruiting-teachers-remotely/2020/may/01/the-new-rules-of-remote-recruiting-how-to-prepare-for-an-online-interview

Managing Remote Staff, People Management Magazine: https://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/long-reads/articles/your-office-empty-friday

The Power of Learning New Skills, London Evening Standard Newspaper: https://www.standard.co.uk/futurelondon/skills/learning-digital-skill-mental-wellbeing-a4378626.html

Protecting Your Mental Health, Be Your Own Digital Press: https://beyourown.org/single-post/2020/03/28/how-entrepreneurs-can-build-healthy-habits-to-protect-their-mindset-through-the-covid-19-pandemic/

Flexible Working Resources, Homeworker Magazine: https://www.thehomeworker.com/how-to-work-from-home-with-children-during-the-coronavirus-lockdown/

Challenges with Remote Working, TechWorld: https://www.techworld.com/careers/remote-working-is-it-doing-more-harm-than-good-3783101/

How is Lockdown Affecting Our Mental Health, Mike Indian GnT Podcast: https://anchor.fm/thegroucho/episodes/How-is-the-lockdown-affecting-our-mental-health-ecqpk8

Reason You’re Having Dreams About Your Ex, Birmingham Mail Newspaper: https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/reason-youre-having-dreams-your-18135351

You will find further information and articles on my new Flexible Working site: https://flexibleworking.brizy.site/ I will be adding downloadable resources, so bookmark the page.

BBC Radio 5 Live

If the player is still up, you can listen to one of my interviews talking about Flexible Working on BBC Radio 5 Live HERE

You will find my latest article for the Chartered Management Institute on their website.

About Marilyn Devonish

Marilyn Devonish, The NeuroSuccess™ Coach, has been a Flexible Working Implementation Consultant since 2003, which means going into organisations to implement smart, remote, and flexible working policy and strategies, and manage the psychological implications of working from home and online. She holds a Business Degree, Post Graduate Marketing Diploma with the Chartered Institute of Marketing, and is a Management Consultant, Prince2 Project Manager, Change Management Specialist, and Corporate Leadership Development Trainer, delivering Programs both off and online.

She is also a Certified Life and Executive Coach, Certified PhotoReading™ Accelerated Learning Instructor, Certified Trainer of NLP, Keynote Speaker, Off and Online Workshop Facilitator, Freelance Writer, and Certified Multi-Disciplinary Therapist including Soul Plan Reader, Future Life Progression, Certified Trainer of Timeline Therapy, and Practitioner of EFT, DNA Theta Healing, EmoTrance, Energetic NLP, Access Consciousness, Reiki, Archetypal Profiling, Soul Plan Core Issue Therapy, and Hawaiian Huna, having studied out in Hawaii with those from the original lineage. A Personal Trainer for Your Brain, Marilyn blends aspects of neuroscience with personal development to make accelerated performance and mindset changes more easily accessible to all.

Marilyn is also the Founder of TranceFormations™, a Coaching, Training and Consultancy organisation committed to creating impactful and lasting rapid transformation and change. Her journey into these disciplines started with being diagnosed with what they thought to be early onset Alzheimer’s in her 20s, and contemplating suicide in her 30s after a relationship breakup. Having found a quick, easy, and lasting way to turn that diagnosis and things around 20 years ago, she has been working with both individuals and organisations since then to help accelerate their potential and performance.

Next Steps

Online Executive Coaching and Therapy

Marilyn Devonish has been a Coach and Therapist for the past 20 years, and offering Online Coaching and Therapy since 2005 which means the processes have been tested thousands of times to ensure they are fit for purpose and translate into the virtual environment. To book a free 20-minute Consultation and to book an Online Coaching Session go to: https://bookme.name/marilyndevonish