We’ve all dreamed, one day or another, of staying quietly at home to accomplish our professional tasks. We said to ourselves, for example, that Mondays would be much less painful if we could go directly from bed to work.

Well, now, for many, our wish has come true. There’s however a big difference, it is not a choice but an obligation.

Tip number 1: Give yourself a structure

For those not working in a call center environment with a fixed schedule, the three main pitfalls when found in telework are:

• the temptation not to respect a fixed work schedule
• the temptation to stay in pajamas
• the urge to do certain household chores while working

Unless you are extremely disciplined and able to quickly refocus, the ideal is to give yourself a structure and to respect it.

• This means establishing a schedule from which you will not deviate.
• It also means dressing for work, doing your hair as if you were going out, so that the message is clear that you are anything but on vacation.
• You will keep chores out of your work schedule and leave emptying the dishwasher for your lunch break.

In addition to providing you with a sense of security in these times of uncertainty, making rules and following them will help you perform better, and therefore be more satisfied at the end of the day.

Tip number 2: Take care of your workspace

The room in which you will carry out your professional tasks must be a pleasant one and conducive to concentration. Since the period of confinement may be a little longer than we think, it is worth taking the time to settle in properly.

A messy space in the middle of the hubbub will demotivate you to the utmost and bring out the anxiety created by conditions and isolation.

Tip number 3: Stay connected

For some of us, being cut off from the world for a few hours is already painful, so imagine after a few days and … a few weeks.

Fortunately, we are in an era where technology can help limit isolation, although, let’s face it, it will never replace a real face-to-face meeting. So, if you are equipped with video and chat systems like Team Viewer or Skype, you can make a habit to say hello to colleagues, just to inquire about their mood and break the silence and routine that will end inevitably by settling down.

Tip number 4: Organize your tasks according to your energy peaks

We are all different in the way we work. Some are hyper productive in the morning; others, in the afternoon. So why not put aside the tasks that require the most concentration and do them during your energy peaks.

Also take advantage of your lunch hour to take a short 30-minute walk, just to get some fresh air so that you can return to work in a better state of mind.

Tip number 5: Keep children occupied

For parents, the concept of structure is of utmost importance as it is necessary to keep children occupied to avoid boredom and… trouble. Several suggestions:

• If your children are old enough, organize a schedule of household chores.
• Establish specific times for entertainment.
• Allocate a period so that they can also get some fresh air.
• Take advantage of this situation so that they educate themselves online on various subjects since the Internet is a gold mine of information available and free. Why not encourage older children to learn a new language?

Let’s remember that our children, more than anyone else, need to feel safe and they find this feeling in discipline and structure, but also in the quality time that we can give them at the end of our teleworking day.

Tip number 6: Find the thing that will help keep you focused

For many people whose tasks allow it, listening to their favorite music helps time move faster and puts them in a state of mind more conducive to the accomplishment of their tasks.

And you? Do you have other ways to stay motivated and focused? Do you allow yourself small reward breaks with coffee or herbal tea and a treat, for example?

The most important thing is to tame these involuntary periods of isolation to get the most out of them.

Jackie Beaudoin, Leclerc Insurance and Financial Services