At Modern Currency, we’re incredibly lucky that we’re able to pack up our desks and work remotely from the comfort and safety of our own homes.
Working from home, or as we like to say ‘WFH’ – *because, millennials* isn’t an uncommon practise for us. We are big believers in offering a flexible working environment for our team – whether they live far away or they are more productive from home, we get it!
While we don’t normally have the whole team working remotely at the one time, we are living in some *very* strange times, and are learning, along with every other business, to adapt.
So, considering we have dubbed ourselves experts in the ‘WFH’ field, we wanted to share our top tips to ensure you are set up for optimum productivity when working from home:
STEP 1 – ROUTINE
Ensure you’re implementing a constructive routine into your life. If you didn’t have one PRCV19 (that’s pre COVID-19), we suggest you start now. Tips: Wake up, exercise, shower, coffee, begin your work day (you get the point)
STEP 2 – HONE YOUR BOUNDARY SETTING SKILLS
If you share a living space with someone, it’s important to get structured about space and work hours. Make sure they know what your hours are, when they can interrupt (hint: during your lunch break), and most importantly, are able to give you as much personal space as possible with your current living set-out.
STEP 3- USE YOUR PLANNER
We’ve seen the memes and can confirm, buying that professional looking diary back at the start of 2020 when life felt right and just, wasn’t a big waste of time. Make sure you’re scheduling in your WIPs with the team, meetings with clients and writing in your daily to-do lists – again, it’s important to follow routine (go back to step 1 if you’re confused.)
STEP 4- DON’T WORK IN YOUR PJs
While we love our pajamas, it can seriously impact your productivity. Beyond psychologically getting you in the right mindset for work, dressing appropriately means you’re ready to handle any kind of last minute Zoom meeting or team check-ins. We’ve seen a lot of people recommending “dress for success”, while we agree, we’re not saying put on a full face of makeup and dress to the nines (though if you do – all power to you). We recommend a ‘mullet style’ dress-code (yes, we did just make that up): professional up top, party at the bottom. Example: nice knit jumper or blouse paired confidently with your finest pair of trackie dacks and slippers.
STEP 4- EXERCISE
We’re not scientists, but we do know that:
Exercise = endorphins = happiness = improved performance
Some of our team like to exercise in the morning; whether it be some AM Yoga or walking their doggos. Others, utilise their lunch break by going for a run around the block or simply stretching (because, posture). A big MC ritual of ours is 3:00pm squats – working on the glutes while simultaneously having a laugh with your work pals over Zoom.
STEP 5 – EAT HEALTHY
Oh the joys of having full access to your kitchen! Research has proven that eating your fruit and veggies has a direct link to productivity levels. This one is pretty straightforward… eating healthy = not rolling out of your house when the lockdown ends. Because we love an oxymoron (or perhaps, just like saying the word), we do recommend a big, fat glass of your favourite vino at the end of the working day *pats on back for making it through another day of isolation*.
STEP 5 – TAKE YOUR LUNCH BREAK
It sounds basic, but we all know how easy it is to get caught up in work and spend hours on end at your desk without a break. Taking a break (both mentally and physically) means that your team will be more productive, creative in their thinking and improve their mental health.
STEP 6 – USE YOUR HEADPHONES
If you happen to have a good set of headphones – use them. Headphones act as a great noise-blocker from the outside world (aka your mum yelling on the phone or partner *loudly* gaming). This isn’t a necessity but something that can make your work from home life a little easier.
STEP 7 – USE EFFECTIVE COMMS TOOLS
Don’t let email be the only way you interact with your team. Using communication and work management apps like Slack, Zoom, Trello, Asana and Google Hangouts, will ensure you’re able to keep up to date with what everyone is working on, keep your team in the loop with any updates and ensure you’re still getting in that bit of office work banter that you’re *so desperately* craving.
STEP 8 – MAINTAIN YOUR WORK CULTURE
Times are tough at the moment – we’re not going to lie. Now more than ever, it is important to lead with kindness, compassion and empathy. We’re working hard to ensure our culture remains positive, enjoyable and welcoming during this all. We recommend using Zoom or HouseParty (did someone say Friday night drinks?!) to have one on one catch ups with your team or host after work drinks (BYO wine & cheese). At Modern Currency, we’ve also created a #homehustle slack channel where the team can share photos from their day or any exciting updates (it doesn’t have to be work related).
Thinking differently is the only way to get through these tough economic times. At Modern Currency, we’ve been working closely with our clients to help them innovate, pivot their strategies and create new offerings to ensure they can stay ahead of the game in these incredibly tough times. If you’d like to chat about how you can innovate or change your strategy, please get in touch – we’re here to help.
