The QuaranTEAM at QOL
With a mandatory work from home policy in place for non-essential workers, our team at the Quality of Life, New York office, has been confined to working from their home spaces. With their daily routines pre-pandemic of coming into the office, working from home has been an adjustment for the team. We decided to check in with some of the team on how they have been handling working from home and what tips they might have for being productive and staying sane.
Here are some of the members of the team and what they have to say. You can always pick up some tips and tricks to apply to your WFH situation.
~ Joe
Q. What has brought you joy this week?
A. Getting somewhat nicer weather to play outside with (my dog) Luna. And of course, Mother's Day was Sunday, so doing the best we could for Mom was a highlight of the week.
Q. How have you kept your meals interesting
A. (My Wife), Danielle does a good job picking different recipes for us to cook. She is the foodie in our house that keeps our meals always changing.
~ Angela
Q. How do you unplug and recharge after work hours/on the weekends?
A. I have found virtual bootcamp classes help me most to unplug/recharge. I also have been cooking a lot which I find to be therapeutic and relaxing.
Q. What is the thing you miss the most about coming in and working from the office?
A. The thing I miss most is seeing and interacting face to face with everyone in the office. I also miss having a “routine.”
~ Charlie
Q. Do you have a daily routine you follow? If so, what is it?
A. I try not to follow too strict of a routine. I normally find myself to be super busy and very scheduled, so I'm using this time to be a little more relaxed in that sense. I just make sure every day I get some form of exercise and also just to go for at least 1 walk to get some fresh air. Walks have been fun, we like going to Rye beach or just walking around our neighborhood where we live.
~ Dan E.
Q. Do you have a daily routine you follow? If so, what is it?
A. It’s been hard to follow a routine with everything closed. As soon as my work is completed, I take the time to do yard work, or just sit on my porch. On the weekends I've been trying to do at least 1 hike if the weather allows for it.
~ Charlie
Q. Have you picked up any new hobbies since the quarantine or found yourself with any new interests?
A. No new hobbies but it's let me play guitar more than I have in a while, and I've probably played more video games than I have since college.
~ Dan E.
Q. Have you picked up any new hobbies since the quarantine or found yourself with any new interests?
A. I've started watching really old movies that are now public domain. I've wanted to do this for a while but now that there aren't too many new movies being released, I feel like I can go back and watch them without missing out!
~ Breanne
Q. What are the two biggest challenges you have faced so far while working from home?
A. My two most significant challenges that I have faced being the Designer for QOL are not being able to print things in color and send them to our customers! I want them to have the best customer experience, so having something visually appealing is something that I strive to complete for our consumers. My second challenge is downsizing in technology, even though I am still efficient with my work, I am one monitor down from transitioning from home, and I do miss sitting at my desk.
~ Casey
Q. What are the two biggest challenges you have faced so far while working from home?
A. One challenge I have faced working from home is not having a proper desk. I have been working from my dining room table, which is a shared space with 4 other family members, and it can be distracting. Also, my household is full of creatives (singers/ guitar players) which can make it noisy.
~ Breanne
Q. What is your favorite part about working remote?
A. My favorite part of working from home is still making time to connect with my coworkers through slack and zoom calls. With traffic no longer lingering in my commute I can commit to a longer workout and take more time for myself.
~ Casey
Q. What is your favorite part about working remote?
A. My favorite part about working from home is having the time to run 10 miles every morning before work starts. Also, being able to wear hoodies and sweatpants everyday!
~ Yoha
Q. Which project are you excited about right now? (either work-related, or non-work related)
A. The project I am most excited about right now is decorating my apartment. After watching videos of other people renovating their houses and doing DIY projects to decorate their homes I got inspired and decided to do the same. It is something I look forward to doing every day and it is a good way to de-stress.
Q. How are you staying active?
A. I would be lying if I said I have not struggled to stay active during this quarantine. In the beginning, I stayed active by walking from my fridge to my designated home office space or to my room. Definitely not an ideal situation. I decided to create a Snapchat group with my friends with the purpose of motivating each other to stay active and workout every day. I went back to achieving my daily goal of a minimum of 10K steps a day and I was also introduced to Chloe Ting’s workout programs which are a great way to get your body moving and your blood flowing. They are free and easy to follow and you don’t need equipment, you can do it from your room with no issues!
Despite the work from home order, our team has continuously been working hard and surpassing every and any goals set forth. We could not be prouder of them and their efforts!
If you have been put in a similar situation to work from home, how have you been staying organized and motivated? Let us know in the comments!