How To Cope With The Work From Home Routine

Oh, yes, May 2020 is about to end and we are still in quarantine, still uncertain of what the Covid19 is really all about… still no cure, no vaccine. Although some of us may be working at our designated workplaces right now, so many of us are still confined at home, doing our home-based jobs. At times, and almost all the time, especially when we are used to dressing up each morning getting ready to go out of our houses to work, we may feel bored and even anxious just staying at home and doing the work that we used to do at our sweet sweet office habitat.

In my case, nothing much seemed to change since the enhanced community quarantine started last March. If you have been one of my loyal readers since 2009, you will remember that since then, I was having my home-based job to give more attention to my baby who was 2 years old at that time (now, I am nostalgic..hehehe!).

I know how it feels to be so busy once and then all of a sudden you have to be confined inside your homes. But on the lighter side, I found ways to adjust to such situations and to finally enjoy working from home. I am here now to share these simple tips on how to finally enjoy your new routine as a work from home employee. But before I start, please let me apologize for sharing these tips only now that the quarantine is slowly lifting. It is because it is only now that I came to understand that some of us may be working from home for good especially for those who have been laid off from a job and would attempt to be self-employed soon.

So here are the few basic things that we can do to improve and enjoy our work from home experience:

• Condition your mind and understand that working from home at this point in time is a practice that will keep you and your loved ones safer from possible Covid19 infection.
• Understand that despite working from home, you are lucky to still have your job and are still able to make a living for your family. The Covid19 pandemic has brought upon us an economic instability and ergo, the massive lay off of so many employees. So, it does not really matter whether you are at the office or at home as long as you still have a source of income that can maintain your lifestyle, or even if there may be a minor set back, what matters is that YOU ARE WORKING and EARNING A LIVING.

Now that you have conditioned your mind and you have programmed your heart to be thankful, let us consider your working place which is your home:

• It is vital that you find a nook or any corner of your room or anywhere in your house, wherein you can set up a small working space. A working space means a place where there are no clutters that can bother you while you are working. If you have just enough space, a small nook in your room may be the best bet since you will be alone inside working all day. The living or dining room may not be so conducive because it is the place where the other people in your house may be spending their time during the day. Just remember that if you are going to utilize your room as a venue, you need to make your bed so that you will not unconsciously feel tempted to keep sleeping or just resting instead of doing your job. On the other hand, if you have other conducive venues in your house, feel free to occupy that space because your comfort while working greatly affects all your work output.
  

• Have a desk and storage in that small nook of yours that will be exclusively dedicated to your work. Never put anything that is not connected to work in that area so that your energy and aura will always be programmed to work whenever you start spending your time in that special nook. Remember to be mindful where you place your laptop, always make sure that you place them somewhere where you can always be ready to have video calls and online meetings with your boss and co-workers or even your clients. Your back view when you are video chatting should be put into consideration. For example, a clean wall is better than a doorway to the bathroom. You never know when someone comes out from that bathroom with only a towel on while you are video conferencing.
• Live each day as if you are still going to work at your office. Take a bath on time, dress up, and for the ladies, put on your make up and yes even your red lipstick that makes you feel better whenever you have a rough day at work. Eat on time. There are ways to do this even if you are at home which I will be sharing soon with another blog post.
• Set goals for each day. Manage your time wisely. Since staying at home to work can give you additional works. Yes, you read that right… and yes, I am laughing again!!! That is because working from home will give you the chance to see first-hand home chores and at this time you have to manage your time between doing the job that pays you and the household chores that you do free of charge out of love for your home mates. To manage your time well, it is helpful that you have your calendar and a planner, and even a notebook wherein you could make a list of what to do and prioritize from the list. Keep in mind what to achieve for the day and which ones can be started at the moment and could be finalized for the following days. If you do multiple jobs like me, it is helpful to have multiple notebooks that are labeled according to what company it is meant for.

• Never try to procrastinate. Take deadlines seriously even if you are at home and could hide from your boss anytime you want. Remember once again that you are one of the few lucky people who are still employed while so many have lost their jobs and are struggling to find a new one. Having a salary is just one of the perks of having a job, but knowing that you do things because you have true concern for the company you work for and for your clients, will truly give you peace of mind and joy. Being a part of other people’s lives that benefits them is a perk that satiates your soul. Never deliver half baked goods. If you are self-employed, give your self a deadline or a quota for each job that you have to do. Always keep in mind that you are privileged to be your own boss so do not ruin your own business with your “maniana” habit. 
• Working from home will make you realize that somehow, it sets you free from the time table of your boss and co-workers in the sense that you can do your job anytime you like. But as it was mentioned earlier BE MINDFUL OF DEADLINES. It sets your mind free if you could give output on the deadline, but it will give you joy when you have managed to give an output ahead of time. Finishing job days or even weeks before the due date will give you time to check and even improve your output. 
• Lastly, work with your heart. Love your job and enjoy what you do. Realize that it is so good to stay at home working and earning. Be thankful for each new day and never cease praying for better days to come. Be glad to serve even if you have to stay at home and never forget to thank God every day.

This is all for now my co- ripple makers! I hope you enjoyed this blog as much as I find delight in communicating my thoughts with you. Stay safe and healthy! Let us all be productive and evolve as we help one another to fight this pandemic. Good luck working from home.

Feel free to comment to add more value to this blog. Your work from home tips will truly make a difference in other people's lives today.

Of The Ripples, Covid19 and The Koi Fish

(Image courtesy of mama Benilda Magante, taken at The Garden, Ciudad De Victoria, Bulacan Philippines)

 And so, I am back. I could not stop my self from smiling right now. Maybe the Community Quarantine, whether “enhanced”, “general” or “modified”, has made me realize that I have been giving all my time blogging for other sites, yet The Ripples of Koi has been on “super” enhanced community quarantine since I do not even know when. Thanks to those who missed me… and thanks to those who will start reading again.

The Covid19 has truly taken its toll on all of us, from our home to the world. We could feel its ill effects, not to mention, the anxiety and grief it has given us. It's been months since we lived like hermits and feeling the threat each time we go out of our homes. Yet we are here today, still living life, staying courageous despite the chaos.

At this time of our life, somehow we may have come to realize so many things that are so vital yet we failed to appreciate before the saga of Covid19.

Since the quarantine has led me to think of and miss my own blogging site, let me share with you this enlightenment that somehow kept us going and the things that we learn from life at this point in time, and the blessings that these trying times have brought upon us.

•  We are once again reminded that we do not own our life. In a blink of an eye, it could be altered or be taken from us. Yet we are all blessed with the understanding of living each day like there is no tomorrow. We remembered the value of spending quality time with our loved ones, we are reminded of the significance of seizing the day to make our loved ones feel important and needed. We are more aware of the importance of taking care of ourselves and one another.

•  That we can choose to rise or fall to any occasion. There are people who relentlessly complained out of anxiety and discomfort, yet there were people who have chosen to create opportunities for themselves and their loved ones at this time of crisis. We can see people who lost their jobs or people who did not have enough income or no income at all, because they were on a no work no pay rule. This was the time when we started seeing the complainers and the doers. The doers definitely had the attitude of real winners. We see them creating jobs for themselves. And honestly, I enjoyed ordering homemade delicacies and other stuff from my friends who acted like winners even at the worst of times.

• That there are unknown heroes among us. We see them every day, talk about the doctors, the nurses, and other members of the medical team. Talk about the policemen, our national and local government officials, the garbage collectors, the mall employees, and the unknown people who were there to help in every way they can. Think about our imperfect government, that no matter inadequate they may seem for some, they are still doing what they can to keep us safe and somehow overcome the grim that is upon us.

• That even in the darkest times, no matter how much some people give their best, there will always be imperfections. And at the midst of an almost perfect or simply imperfect help that they share, there will be people who will NEVER LEARN TO APPRECIATE THE GOOD. There will always be killers of goodness and emphasizers of the bad. There will always be complainers who unknowingly torture their own soul because of focusing on what is ugly. And there will be the thankful ones, who know how to appreciate even the smallest drop of grace and hope in times of darkness, they are the ones who harbor the smallest light that could brighten the world up, if only there were no obstacles called “the killers of goodness”. At this time, we learn that we could choose to appreciate and invigorate our own life or complain and keep our souls in total darkness.

• That no matter how much help we could get, it is our own choices and priorities that will determine our future. It is sad to see people being helped and even being given cashouts, just because they are considered as the less fortunate or even indigents. Yet they make poor choices of gambling or choosing to have a physical aesthetic done using the cash doled out to them. At the brighter side, there are people who started creating a new source of income for them and their loved ones out of the money doled out to them. It is vital to choose to be wise enough to create our own opportunities for better living while there are still people willing to help. It is not the help that makes us who and what we are in the future, it is what we do with it that creates our substance as a person and decide our tomorrows.

• That gratefulness helps us to overcome obstacles because it kindles our hope and happiness. This is the time when we see people who know how to be thankful for the little blessings. It gives them a positive mind to think clearly and do what is right even in times when they have to grope in the dark.

• That we are no supermen nor wonder women, no matter how powerful we are, no matter how much we own or even if we feel like we own the world, we can NEVER control everything. Yet we learned the value of entrusting our future to the One who has given us all. We realized that at the time of crisis such as Covid19, when we are at war to something we are not familiar of, to something we could not see… we learn the value of kneeling in prayers. We are reminded of the One who has taken care of us since the time of our conception.

These are just a few of the realizations I have come to appreciate at this difficult time. Let us be reminded once again my co-creators of ripples to behave and be resilient like the koi fish who manage to swim upstream a waterfall, no matter how turbulent it is. At this point in time, we can choose to be like the koi fish. We can choose to swim in this ocean of life no matter what the obstacles are because it is in the darkest times that we can see new opportunities and it is at this time that we can learn how far our own light can go. Let us always keep in our hearts, that if He who created us all, has blessed the koi fish to be so courageous, it is US who are made of His own image that should be more courageous and who are more willing to continue a positive journey in life. Let Him be the sturdy shelter that keeps us going. Believing and really knowing in our hearts that His love and grace will NEVER FAIL to keep us safe and see us through even in our darkest hours, always keeping in mind that we can create our own ripples of hope no matter what lies ahead.

I am still smiling… and now, with a very thankful heart to the HANDS THAT MADE US ALL.

May this song give you joy today! Stay courageous! :) 

(Video credit to Maylis Susan on Youtube.com, please watch it on youtube.com)