3 Ways To Spend Your Extra Free Time Wisely

1. Sharpening the Saw

1.1. If you’ve more free time before or after work, catch-up on professional development reading

1.2. Or complete that online course on your to-do list.

1.3. Covey’s metaphor of sharpening the saw also refers to improving the body.

1.4. Working effectively is difficult without good health and energy.

1.5. Apps like Nike Training Club can help you maintain physical fitness while working at home.

2. Remote Communication

2.1. Check in regularly with your colleagues, boss or clients

2.1.1. That said, a fine line exists between checking in and micromanaging.

2.2. Use short, succinct emails for summarizing conversations, following up and obtaining information.

2.3. If you’re leading a team, consider setting up daily or weekly office hours using apps like Zoom.

2.3.1. Team members can get together virtually and talk about their challenges informally.

2.3.2. A fifteen-minute video-conference can also clear the air quicker than a long email trail.

2.4. While videoconferencing, speak slower than normal, use other people’s names more frequently and dress for the occasion.

2.5. Record important videoconferences for colleagues in different time zones too.

2.6. If you’re presenting often, invest in a good mic.

3. Meditation or Mindfulness

3.1. Productivity tools and systems represent the outer stroke; they help you progress in the world.

3.2. Meditation, on the other hand, represents the inner stroke. It’s for finding balance within.

3.3. Meditation will help you balance anxiety about current events with working from home.

3.4. Consider incorporating a short mindfulness routine at the start or end of your workday

3.4.1. The former could help you to focus, and the latter to decompress after a stressful day.