Time, Task, Triumph: Dealing with the New Normal and Making the Most of Your Time in the Hybrid World
Long before I had to start working from home, I was always interested in finding better ways of managing my time so I could improve my productivity and reach my goals. I started using a paper calendar/organiser many years ago (including a Filofax!) but gradually changed to using smartphones and Outlook. I’ve got different roles, including my full-time job and community volunteering, which means there are lots of demands on my time. I always have different projects running, each with specific tasks to complete, each with their own deadline, as well as regular meetings and calls for which to prepare.
For a long time, I used my Outlook and smartphone tools to keep track of my tasks, manage my email and note down appointments and meeting times. What I didn’t do was use my calendar to more effectively arrange everything I was going to be doing on a particular day even if it wasn’t a formal meeting or appointment. Somehow it ended up working but I knew I could improve my productivity so much more.
Events in early 2020 forced my hand. With the Covid-19 situation kicking in, I started working from home in mid-March and had to really make sure I managed to continue to carry out my software sales role, despite the uncertainty in the world at large. I was fortunate to have a job that didn’t need furloughing, but it would be foolish to take it for granted. While I had ‘worked from home’ on the very odd day (if I had a bad cold or a major delivery coming), they had been few and far between.
Also, while my girlfriend Laura and I had been planning to move in together in June that year, we were still at that point living in our own one-bedroom flats in different parts of London. Laura worked as a paediatric nurse at a hospital, while I worked as a sales consultant at a financial IT firm in south London. When it came to the lockdown decision on who would move in with whom (or not see each other for a long time...never an option for us) it was obvious that I would be the one making the move.
Then, just a week after lockdown had started, Laura and I made the happy discovery that we were expecting our first child. While we were excited at the news, it came at a time when we were going to be isolated from family members and when demands on medical services looked very uncertain. With Laura having been diagnosed early on with hyperemesis gravidarum (severe morning sickness), it was clear that it was going to be a difficult pregnancy, and she’d be relying on me to look after her for some time. There was also the little matter of Laura’s boisterous labrador, who would still need his regular meals and walks!
So, there I was looking at a series of life changes in the space of a few days right at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown. I was lucky to still have a full-time job on a good salary...but I had to keep it! I knew April might end up being a long and possibly difficult month, but with some good organisation, I could succeed in doing everything I needed to do, be fully present for Laura...and still remain sane!
On the final Sunday evening at my old place before heading permanently to Laura’s flat the next day, I opened up my laptop and drew up a basic plan for my working days in April. This was the start of my ‘working from home’ journey that has resulted in this little newsletter, bringing together everything I’ve learnt about managing my time, getting work done, and feeling good about it. In a sense, it is all about managing both your time and your space in all the places you work (home and office) so you have the best chance of success in your professional life. A lot of the ideas I’ll share on setting up your schedule, sorting out your to-do list, etc, are just as applicable back in the office as they are at home. Indeed, quite a lot of it is less about working from home than about managing yourself and your time as if you were your own boss (whether or not you actually are).
Of course, things have moved on quite a lot since 2020, and hybrid working is now the reality for many office professionals. Some employers are still keen to stem the tide and increase office attendance while others have embraced remote working wholeheartedly. Many are still figuring out the right balance. In my newsletter, which I'll be publishing twice a week, on Wednesdays and Fridays, I'll be exploring different ideas on how we can make the most of our time and achieve success in this ever-changing environment.