by the Solo Stove Team
When you found out you’d be spending more time at home, you might have had a slew of things you wanted to fill the time with: tackle your personal projects, tidy up the house, read those books you’ve been stacking up, or catch up on your favorite latest movies or tv shows.
You might have found that balancing your schedule now is just like it was a month ago. You are still parents, educators, weekday warriors, and nine-to-fivers. You’ve got just as much time now as you did then.
We are in the same boat. Many Solo Stove employees are working from home during this time. We’ve had a lot of Zoom meetings and chat conversations about this topic and have gotten some pointers from each other on things we’ve done to help us make the most out of every moment to stay productive, connected, and happy.
Below are some testimonies from the Solo Stove team on how we’ve been striving to make the most out of every moment.
Rachel, Email Marketing Specialist
Find what works for you and your family. There’s not a “one-size-fits-all” solution everyone can follow to help them make the most of their time spent at home during this season. It’s okay to not have all the answers or the perfect routine.
Rachel’s tips:
- Give yourself an activity to look forward to throughout your routine. Mine are lunchtime and evening walks. It helps me be more productive, knowing I get to have some fresh air after working for a few hours. It brings a sense of normalcy to the routine.
- Make a dedicated workspace in your home if you can that is separate from your living space.
Chris, Creative Content Coordinator
The situation has taken away a lot of control we once had over our routine. It’s hard to plan anything more than 2 weeks out. One thing my wife and I have been doing is scaling back large plans such as taking a big trip or buying a house to more attainable, monthly goals. One of mine has been building a garden in my backyard. This keeps us from getting down when we can’t really plan for those larger things. When things are good on a smaller scale, the larger scale seems good too.
Chris’ tips:
- Having a daily routine helps you enjoy the little things like taking the dog for a walk.
- I’ve been journaling a little bit every day. It helps me reflect and puts perspective and a little bit of order to my life.
Carolyn, Social Media Coordinator
A lot of us first looked at all the time spent at home and were excited. We’ll have more time for personal projects like practicing an instrument, reading through the stack of books we haven’t had the time to read, learning a new skill, or making new art. And when we go about doing those things, we find it’s hard. We get anxious as we feel the need to “produce” during this time when we seem to have more time on our hands. It makes us frustrated when we find it hard to concentrate on doing these things on top of our routine of working from home or thinking about what’s going on outside our doors. Our society teaches us to never stop producing, working, etc. There’s a lot of value in realizing that we’re still managing our new-found time with work involved, even if we are at home, so we really just have the same amount of time as we did when we weren’t staying at home as much.
Making time to just relax and enjoy the moment has helped me the most.
Carolyn’s tips
- Don’t forget to relax. Play a video game. Watch a movie. Talk to your friends online. The more you focus on self-care, the more you’ll be able to manage those times when you need to focus.
John, CEO
I’ve found that managing my routine isn’t harder, it’s just different. The key thing I’ve found is once you set a routine, stick with it. Not having to worry about a commute to the office can mean letting your old habits die away. As an example, I still wake up early like I did before the gyms were closed and work out in the living room so I don’t wake my wife. Life should be simpler now, so sticking to a routine should be easier. No kids’ after school activities, business travel, late-night dinners. Take the time now to get into good habits and it will pay off when your life goes back to “normal.”
John’s tips:
- Time with your children is priceless. Enjoy the extra time while you can. My family has grown together more in a few short weeks than the entire last year. Make memories. Have conversations. Sit outside by the fire in the evening. Even talk walks together.
Joe, Website and Marketplace Specialist
I have a lot of hobbies and interests outside of work, and this time has been great to commit to them and improve my skills. Not getting overwhelmed with the amount of hobbies I have has been interesting. I found that my blocking out hours I spend on these hobbies has helped me focus my practice and not create a routine. For example, I spend one hour a day practicing guitar before moving on to something else.
Joe’s tips:
- Video conferencing has allowed me to stay connected to my friends and family. It’s been hard to keep up with everyone, but this isn’t going to last forever and we’ll be stronger friends for it.
We want to know your own tips for making the most of your time at home. Share with us your story on Instagram and Facebook using @solostove and #solostove.