home office
Mowgli no longer travels. Mowgli stays at home with his boss. At least for now.
While you feel like an amateur actor in a disaster film and are carefully dividing up the last toilet paper on earth, quite a few people are already standing in front of a pile of broken pieces or are trying to save what can be saved. Wherever possible, people now work from home, including Mowgli’s boss. So put on your sweatpants and get to your desk!
While Mowgli snoozes on “his” couch for most of the day, I work intensely and efficiently. The following strategy helps me, which I would like to share with you:
A clear structure
First of all, there is the time structure : I work at fixed times, start early in the morning, build in breaks and set a clear end to my work. A typical working morning looks like this:
- Start at 8:00 a.m
- two hours of concentrated work without distraction
- a quarter of an hour break: make tea, play “throwing balls” with Mowgli…
- new work block, mostly with communication appointments
- lunch break
- keep working…
The first phase of work is particularly valuable because I’m rested and can focus well. It is particularly important that I do not allow myself to be distracted. That’s why I set deadlines for the upcoming communication. I’m making good progress in a rhythm of working out, passing on the results, receiving feedback and revising. I set the end of my daily working time in such a way that all pending tasks for that day can be brought to a good conclusion. Before I devote myself to other things, I write a plan for the next day.
An orderly work plan : all tasks are listed and put in a meaningful order – usually according to the principle “First things first!” in combination with corresponding sub-items. In this way, I work through each topic in a coherent manner and keep an overview.
A good communication network
It is important to be able to reach everyone who is related to work quickly and easily. It is therefore important to set up a seamless communication network first. I use e-mail distribution lists, chat, video conferencing, telephone – depending on what makes sense and saves time for communication in the individual case.
creativity
Working at my own pace and in peace helps me to develop new ideas and to react flexibly to problems. I can decide for myself how much time I want to spend on a task, and this gives me the freedom and the power to design it carefully and beautifully, and to dig deeper into certain questions. In other words: The rushing through everyday life is gone and I can actually do my work much better now (within the scope of the possibilities) the way I imagine it.
Useful breaks
Tackling and letting go must be in the right relationship to each other. Many hours of computer work primarily put a strain on the neck and eyes. That’s why I start the day with exercise and take regular breaks. I especially like the Chinese 8-brocade exercises. Mowgli has to go outside at regular intervals and we go for a long walk at least once a day. A little game in between is fun for both of us and loosens deadlocked trains of thought. When I’ve finished my daily working hours, I choose what I feel like doing today from the list of things I’ve wanted to do for a long time. What I don’t do is hang around in front of the TV.
Through the ages
As I write this, undeterred by our worries, the forsythia and magnolia trees are already in bloom, the sky is blue and the air is filled with the chirping of birds. All of nature is in a spirit of optimism. In the perpetual rhythm of day and night, phases of the moon and seasons, she keeps her word again this year and teaches us beauty and hope. While we sit at home and inevitably have shut down a lot of our nature-damaging behaviors, she recovers from us. The skies are getting cleaner, waters are getting clearer, the noise has stopped. What a chance for ourselves to come to rest and gather strength for the blossoming of new ideas and plans that we can develop during this time!
When I was still at school, on the way home I saw something that I have often remembered since: The asphalt had broken open in one place and a small green plant had bored through and was growing towards the light. I was struck by this power and took the picture as a symbol of overcoming obstacles and limitations. Life just pushes through.
What is happening now is only temporary.
