YOUr FRIENDS AT CCE SHARE TIPS FOR WORKING FROM HOME
Like many of you, the Center of Career Education staff is currently working from home. Although we’re enjoyed some of the perks like the extra hours before our morning alarm rings or getting to skip the daily commute, we also know that working from home, especially a rapid transition, can be challenging.
Everyone from the NYTimes to Time to the BBC has weighed in on ways to navigate this “new normal.”
Months into our own work from home experience, we polled our staff for their best tips, resources, and ways to stay healthy and sane when working and learning from home.
So read on for just some of ways that CCE’ers are working to develop their work from home skillsets.
How to Stay Organized and On Track:
Maggie Appel-Schumacher, Assistant Director, Experiential Education:
“I wake up at the same time every weekday in order to maintain a morning routine.
Waking up with enough time to enjoy the morning, have coffee/breakfast and prepare for the day allows me to feel grounded and ready when logging into the computer at 9:00 a.m.”
Yanil Nunez, Assistant Director, Experiential Education:
“Use the Pomodoro Technique; I start my day reviewing my email and writing out my schedule for the day along with a to do list.
I will then rank the to-do’s by priority and dedicate a specific amount of time to each and utilize this technique to keep me motivated. “
Joanna Bubilek, Assistant Director, Employer and Alumni Relations:
“I prioritize my tasks of the day and begin from the biggest/most difficult ones.
I start my day with a list of items and label them by importance.
I go by Mark Twain’s “Eat the frog..”
How to Stay Healthy (Physically, Mentally, and Emotionally):
Abby Stroup, Associate Director Event Management and Communications:
“I’ve learned that what worked for me in the office, doesn’t necessarily work for me at home.
Focus is a commodity these days. Music used to help me focus, but now I find it aiding distraction.
Be mindful of what helps and takes away from your focus.”
Shannen Dawli, Assistant Director, Undergraduate Career Development:
“Zoom fatigue is real. Starting at a computer screen for hours a day can be exhausting.
I find that when I take short small breaks to stand up, walk around, or do some stretching exercises my body feels re-energized allowing me to stay motivated to complete my tasks.”
Grace Huntley, Associate Director of Event Management and Communications:
“When I worked from home as a tutor, I found that a couple minutes of small talk at the beginning and end of my sessions with students was a great way to bring some of that in-person warmth into the interaction.
Relationship building is even more important when connecting online. “
Final Thoughts from Sarah Goldberg…
We wanted to wrap up with some words of wisdom from Sarah Goldberg, Associate Director, Undergraduate Career Development.
“Though it’s great to consider others’ remote work tips if you’re feeling stuck, remember that the things that others swear by might not always work wholesale for you.
It’s okay if you have to try a few ways of doing things before you find strategies that work well for you.”
