A collage of OKW’s newest satellites offices throughout Chicagoland, along with some new interns.
We’ve gone over how to create a comfortable and productive home office and discussed the importance of keeping fluid and meaningful communication. In today’s post, we provide tips on embracing this new environment and how we can make it into a sustainable routine. There will be hiccups and unexpected challenges, but with a few changes, we can make it work.
As with our previous posts, this well of wisdom comes thanks to OKW’s WFH expert and Senior Project Architect Bryan Zacharias.
Embrace Your Inner Shut-In
Treat yourself to things you enjoy. Make your own coffee, but try not to become too much of a snob about it. Have a nice, relaxing lunch, gazing longingly out the window with your thoughts. Check how the 300 seedlings you planted are growing (is this one just me?). In contrast to my advice about avoiding chores during work hours it’s essential to punctuate your day with little mental breaks to keep your motivation up.
Drop the headphones. If the silence is slowly driving you mad, consider listening to your normal ‘soundtrack’ through speakers instead of on headphones. I don’t know why, but it helps things feel more lively. Just make sure your house-mates enjoy listening to Tuvan throat singing as much as you do (again, is that just me?).
Find activities for your evenings. On top of working from home all day, free-time activities are also limited at the moment so make sure your evenings are still filled with things you look forward to. Watch that new Netflix series, learn to knit, or bake some cookies. Schedule these comfort activities so you have a little something to look forward to at the end of each day.
We hope you have found these tips helpful for getting into the work-from-home mindset. There will be a learning curve for all of us, but the most important thing is to stay in communication with your project teams. Feel free to reach out to us if you encounter any unexpected struggles with this new experience and we will source the wisdom of the crowds to find a solution. To read our previous posts, click on the links below:
March 18, 2020 :: Creating a Work / Life Balance
March 19, 2020 :: Communication
Stay safe, healthy, and engaged.
OKW Architects