Teach Middle East Magazine Apr - Jun 2020 Issue 3 Volume 7 | Page 54

Personal Development
THREE CLEVER WAYS TO MAKE STAYING
AT HOME WORK FOR YOU!
BY: COLEE WELDON
W
ow! What a roller coaster
and unexpected few
weeks we’ve just had
behind us - with much
uncertainty to follow! learning-from
successful!
Breathe in. Breathe out. To be productive in any environment,
it’s essential to check in on our
emotional mindset. With today’s
incredible
technology
and
collaboration
tools,
emotional
check-ins with our team members
and learners can be a simple task.
Though simple, the impact of a
simple question, “How are you
feeling?” combined with positive
reinforcement like: “I am here if
you need/want to talk” can be the
difference between performance
and procrastination.
How are you holding up?
Maybe you’re a working parent that
has set up a temporary office at your
kitchen table, maybe you’re a student
who can no longer go to class, or
maybe you’re an entrepreneur working
hard to keep your business alive.
Either way, things sure haven’t been
easy. Let’s take a collective moment
to re-set, slow down and be grateful
for what we have as we navigate this
upcoming time together.
Like us, you may have noticed there’s
no shortage of articles on how to make
the most of the collective working-
from-home and learning-from-home
global regulations. We have seen so
many tips and tricks on how to ‘survive’
the next (few) month(s).
Being at home provides us with an
amazing experience to re-think how
we learn and to re-visit our existing
habits and patterns. How can we –
by being productive, positive and
disciplined –achieve our professional,
academic and personal goals?
home
Term 3 Apr - Jun 2020
more
Staying Connected with
Teams and Colleagues
Making New Habits Work
for You
Habits dictate a huge part of our life -
what do we do when what we know
is completely disrupted? In order to
build structure, we have to adopt
new habits. With little time spent
on travel, lunch preparation and
packing, or outfit choice, more time
can be spent on starting the day in a
mindful and intentional way.
How?
A deliberate stretch, a run around the
block or a series of breathing exercises
can work wonders! Or try meditation,
this improves physical and emotional
health, concentration, sleep as well as
reduces stress. And, don’t be afraid to
dress up! There’s nothing wrong with
looking’ sharp on conference calls!
Setting Your Routine
Maintaining routine with colleagues
and kids is key. Schedule specific work
hours in dedicated working areas - this
really helps shape productivity!
For kiddos: consider setting goals like
reading one book or finishing one
chapter of an e-learning syllabus per
day. Teaching your children to learn
through different mediums (physical
books versus online) is important. Since
e-learning is ultimately the future of
learning, the sooner children, and adults,
become familiar with this, the more
capable we will all be in our schooling
and professional lives.
For teams: try - if you can - to organize
creative activities with your team - like
a virtual coffee break or water cooler
conversation. Challenge each other in
online games and show compassion for
your colleagues - this is a stressful time
for many of us.
The personal growth which can come
from this unprecedented time spent at
home is as powerful as we make it. We
need to challenge ourselves to trust the
unknown and adapt to a digital world
which is very capable of supporting work
and learn-from-home environments.
Check out our top three ways (beyond
traditional online learning) to make
your days of working-from-home and
54
even
After the Bell