As the Entrenuity team adjusts to the routine of work and home life paired together, here are some things we’re doing to stay healthy and productive.
Start off with a routine: With shelter-in-place the order of the day and whole families working and educating from home, it’s can be hard to stay on track. Liv Peterson stays motivated by making it a priority to wake up at the same time every day and intentionally set aside time to make a cup of coffee and eat a good breakfast. “Setting up this continual routine gives me the space to mentally prepare for the workday.” Our team also gathers every morning for a short video check-in to begin the day.
Break up the monotony: Although having a designated workspace in your home is essential to organization, hours and hours in the same place, at the same desk, can you leave you feeling restless, dormant, and worn out. In order to combat the monotony, Adam Phillips schedules two short walks everyday. “This forces me to get things done by a certain time and gives me something to break up the monotony of the basement.” Randi Craigen takes a break in the middle of each day to walk the dog, accompanied by her husband or one of their children.
Plan ahead: As the age-old saying goes, “prior planning prevents poor performance.” Kristi White is used to working from home. What’s changed is adjusting to her children and husband also being home. "This has made navigating work more complicated. With everyone sheltering in place, Zoom and video meetings have become essential. What has helped me navigate this new workflow is writing out a specific schedule for meetings so that we can navigate our electronic needs and usage throughout the day."
Learn how to disengage: With work and personal life all happening in the same space, it’s essential to find boundaries. Kari Pendelton, Entrenuity’s coffee specialist, says, “Keeping to a schedule has been very helpful, as well as defining clear-cut times for work and relaxation. We are all facing hard and trying times. It is the small things that have helped me.”
Engage in meaningful activities: With back-to-back Zoom meetings, video calls, and electronic team meetings, at the end of the day you may be feeling exhausted. It’s easy to unwind with meaningless activities that end up draining you further, rather than helping refuel you. Josh Fort is connecting with others by reading a chapter each night of A Beautiful Time for Neighbors:The Simple Faith of Mr. Rogers on Facebook. "I was scrolling through Facebook when I saw a friend do something similar. I was encouraged by the idea of helping others stop and breathe for a minute with a good book.”
Learn your tools: With the rapid adjustment of workflow moving primarily online, the need to educate yourself and your team regarding available communication resources is essential. L. Brian Jenkins, President of Entrenuity, is leading our team by providing the resources and tools we need to work from home and directing us to online training so that we can use our tools efficiently. People and teams are craving human interaction and technology has allowed us to find better ways to communicate virtually. Something as simple as creating meeting notes within Office 365 Teams help our team meetings run smooth and succinct. With Brian's leadership and assistance, we're grateful to be able to continue to do our jobs!