Many real estate professionals have been thrown into a completely new work environment — working from home. Adjusting to this new setting can be challenging for people accustomed to the office environment. Recalibrating your work life is necessary to maintain your productivity.
The uncertainty and fear caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic doesn’t make work adjustment any easier. Public schools and universities have switched to online classes, so children of all ages are at home all day. Waiting in lines outside grocery stores sucks away time you gained by not driving into work. All the same, your boss expects you to produce.
Implement these strategies to impress your boss as you practice good social distancing and work from home.
1. Forge a new routine.
When you went into the office, you had a routine. You woke up at a certain time. You ate lunch at a certain time. You worked in ways that best suited you. In this new environment, you need to find those rhythms again. Forge a new routine that takes into account the nuances of your new environment and life patterns.
2. Reach out to colleagues.
It’s easy to retreat to your laptop and just do the basics of your job. Resist that temptation. Reach out to colleagues to enlist their help and seek their buy-in on new ideas. When you’re proactive, you become the leader.
3. Measure your production.
If you don’t measure something, you don’t know how it improves. Find ways to measure what you do, and set goals related to those measurements. If you want to make sure you’re responsive, set a time goal for returning phone calls and emails. If you want to finish a project early, make an aggressive timeline and stick to it. With whatever measurements you devise, hold yourself accountable.
4. Share household responsibilities.
You may have just become your child’s teacher. Homeschooling with a full-time job isn’t easy. Communicate with your spouse about what needs to be done around the house. Divide up the responsibilities and conquer them. If you need to work nontraditional hours, discuss it with your boss. He or she would rather have you productive at odd hours than unproductive during normal business hours.
5. Get up and move around.
Physical activity is an important part of the workday. Getting up from your computer to make copies, to refill your coffee mug, or to ask a colleague a quick question breaks up the day. You don’t have as many occasions to get up and move when you work at home. You need those breaks. It’s amazing what a walk around the block can do for your ability to focus on a task.
6. Practice good self-care.
If you don’t take care of yourself, you’ll do a lousy job taking care of others. Get enough sleep. Eat well. Exercise a little each day.
Be the rock star!
While others may be floundering, it’s your time to shine. Impress your boss with productivity during the coronavirus pandemic. Once things settle into a new post-pandemic normal, you will have shown your value and will be in prime position to reap the rewards.
David Kunes is a Partner at Real8 Group with over 30 years of real estate executive recruiting experience.