Mind · April 8, 2020

Stay @Home Work Strategies

Wrote this post for my dad’s business. I hope you can find this helpful as well as encouraging. If you want to check out Warren Wandling click HERE.

With the new reality of the whole family working at home and the fact that I love to talk and share with those around me, I knew we were going to need to  put some parameters in place. If not for their sanity – to keep me in line.

Last summer I read 5 Gears by Jeremie Kubicek and Steve Cockram. This book helped me realize the importance of breaks, getting into the zone and the ease of communication. They wrote this strategy based off of the 5 gears in a manual car. While I may like driving an automatic,  in life it’s important to know how to shift work time and activities throughout your day.

To increase productivity and clearer communication in our new home office situation: 

  1. We each get a poster that says Gear 5, Focus Mode and Gear 4, Task Mode. If Gear 5 is posted in a workplace, that means come back later, I’m in the zone.  With the Gear 4, others are invited to come into the room while working.
  2. Each person has picked a special work space in house
  3. Lunch time is planned
  4. Everyone uses this simple communication tool
  5. We choose laughter over fear.

Being at home doesn’t mean you can’t have a schedule and it doesn’t mean there has to be chaos. While it will take time to navigate a new normal we can use these strategies to ease us into this current situation.

No matter the age of your family you can utilize these techniques. If you have young or school aged kids, make a schedule that includes 1 or more chores, reading, using a math app. Be sure to include activities kids enjoy. This format can even be applied for you as a business man or woman. Make a schedule for yourself so that you can be productive and treat these work days 9-5, just as if you were going into the office.

Lastly, make your space enjoyable to work.

Let’s break through the odds and not let location stop productivity.

To get the Gear 5 and Gear 4 poster go over to my shop page where you can download them from Etsy.