Yes, don't laze about in your pyjamas or slippers! Get up and get sorted. If you look good, you'll feel good!
2.Read your priorities for the day ahead.
Be clear on what you really want to achieve today,
3.Have a set place to work – go to it.
Is this the kitchen table, office, corner chair or spare bedroom? Find a place that can be identified as the place where you work.
EXERCISE - Sort out your work base
Choose a work base and test it for two days. Is it working?
4.Have a clear routine with times for each day
Schedule your exercise times / coffee breaks / phone hour / ebook writing / event creation and ZOOM meetings.
EXERCISE - Create your daily schedule for tomorrow
Write out all of your activities for tomorrow from getting up to going to bed.
Now put timings against each activity.
5.Separate work/family time
Don't let everything merge into one blob of activity! Separate work/family time clearly. It should be obvious to everyone if you are at work or availabel to play and talk - and therefore devote some time to others.
6.Tell others in the house what is happening.
Take time to explain where you are working, when you are going to be working and how you will be available at other times . People will then know when Mummy or Grandad is working and therefore shouldn't be disturbed. Likewise, when you are not working - all mayhem can break lose!
Being at home with a Spouse or Partner also brings new stresses and strains - so be aware of work time and together time. Morning coffee often works or an evening box-set binge can add points of structure and togetherness in a day.
7.Focus on the important stuff first thing.
Yes, you will get bombarded by emails, texts and social media all clamouring for your attention. Don't start the day in reactive mode using up precious time and energy. Start with your priorities.
8.Recognise your successes every day.
Working from home or on your own can be lonely at times so it is important to build within yourself a culture of success. This builds your confidence and resilience. Stop and say 'well done' when you achieve one of your key tasks or priorities.
9.DSED to harvest, create, share and help ….
Do Something Every Day (DSED) is a core principle of Work it Out! It's about taking small steps every day, staying focussed on what you are trying to achieve and building a daily routine of success and progress.
Harvest material and learning from your Pick and Mix . Create new relationships, products, ebooks or online courses. Share your experience and ideas with others. Help those you meet to be successful.
10.Write out priorities for tomorrow before you go to sleep.
Take 10 minutes at the end of each day to be thankful for all that you have and write down your two priorities for tomorrow.
I’m a nun and I’ve been social distancing for 29 years. by Sister Mary Catharine Perry - a cloistered nun with the Dominican nuns in Summit, NJ. Use this time for self-reflection and relaxation.
“I need a vacation to recover from my vacation!” people say. Well, this could be it. These weeks are your opportunity for a more quiet, simple life. Every day after lunch, my sisters and I take a 90-minute break of “profound silence.” We don’t move around the building or talk. We stay still. We read, pray or reflect. Sometimes, we will do a hobby quietly. Sometimes, we nap.
People say they want peace and quiet. Then when it is thrown in their lap, they panic. They don’t know how to be alone. They are afraid to confront their “shadow side,” the hard truths about themselves that they don’t like. They fill their lives with noise to run away from their emotions. Life isn’t meant to be rushed. Use this time to get to know yourself.
Stop. Be still. You can either waste this period of social-distancing and be frustrated, or you can choose to make it the best it can be.
with thanks to www.nj.com/opinion
EXERCISE - Time for Self Reflection
What do I really want to do with my life?
Where am I actually going at the moment?
Do I need to stop or re-think anything - Work?, Career?, Relationships?, What makes me Happy or Unhappy?, Daily Routine?, Health?, Exercise?, Diet?
How do others see me?
What are my top 5 life goals?
What special gifts have I been given?
What's the one big change I'd like to see in my life?
What are the top 10 points on my gratitude list?
How do I view my life to date and the time that I have left on earth?
What's the one thing Id like to change or improve about myself?