5 Tips for Maximizing Your Productivity During COVID-19

What a difference a week can make!  One week you are working from the office and enjoying Friday Happy Hour gatherings with co-workers at local pubs and the next you are “sheltering in place” and joining “Zoom” meetings for virtual “Happy Hour”.  Everything we do, day in and day out, has changed.  From work to shopping, to exercise, schooling.  You name it, this pandemic has impacted everything. 

How are you responding?  How are you managing your time to optimize your production while you are existing in a remote environment?  After some initial struggles, I have developed some helpful tips to maximizing your productivity while working from home.

(1) Morning Routine

This is something I believe is critical, regardless of whether you are traveling, at the office, or working from home.  If you look at the daily lives of the most successful people on earth, they have a morning routine.  Personally, I believe that implementing a strict morning routine is what launched my career from single-unit leader to multi-unit leader in 2015.  I started by setting my alarm 30 minutes early to get up, have a devotion and meditation time, before walking to the gym each morning.  These 30 minutes help set the tone for the day and gives us that control over how our day starts, rather than waking up and having to react to what is happening immediately.  I recommend not checking the news, social media, or email until you have completed a 30-minute routine.  Meditation, devotion, journaling, sitting in silence, reflecting, are a few options.

(2) Exercise

A staple to a productive day.  A walk, stretching, lifting, riding a bike, etc.  Getting that 30 minutes of movement before going to work is proven to heighten alertness, increase energy, increase focus, and has numerous other benefits, including a feeling of accomplishment at the beginning of the day.

(3) Get Ready

I find that taking a shower and getting dressed, as if I were going to the office, changes my mindset.  I am prepared mentally and physically to go to work and this drives additional focus and production. 

(4) Create a Space

Sitting on the couch in front of the television can be comfortable, however for me to be as productive as possible, I must have a space dedicated to work.  When I walk into that space, I am focused and ready to get to work.  I don’t use this space for anything else, but work and this helps eliminate distractions. 

(5) 10-Minute Walks

I have found that 10-minute walks are extremely beneficial.  I am doing this two times per day (mid-morning and mid-afternoon) and have found that it helps me refocus as well as loosens my hips, back, shoulders, etc.  It is also a nice break from the computer and the phone.

As we all face the unknown impacts of the COVID-19 and the way it has changed our daily lives, I hope  that these tips will help you become as productive as possible and will benefit you as you continue in this unprecedented environment and beyond.