How are you feeling? I know it can’t be easy to keep up with this self-isolation and social distancing. While we may have have as much face-to-face contact as we once did, we can still connect with and support one another. For this month’s speedlink, we focus on the challenges of working from home and tackling this pandemic together.
We thought it’d be only for spring break. But, it’s going to be for the foreseeable future. Brittany Dixon offers some advice for how you can balance homeschooling with working from home at the same time. I’ve been working from home for the entirety of my professional writing and editing career, but I’ve never tried my hand at homeschooling. Have you been keeping your kids both entertained and educated all this time?
Social distancing and self-isolation mean that we’re all spending a lot more time at home. (Or at least we should be.) Cindy Yu lists off a number of tips for not going stir-crazy during quarantine. Years ago, I wrote about the concept of urban cabin fever. That was just in the context of working from home alone. But, now that everyone is doing it, maintaining our sanity in isolation has become a much more common challenge among the population at large.
Working from home is not an option for a lot of people. Many workers have already been laid off, so what can they do for money until things turn around? Alison Tedford is here to help with a number of ways to make money online during these uncertain times. Have you tried offering your services through a site like Fiverr? What about selling digital art through Creative Market or digital products through Gumroad?
If you are fortunate enough to have a job where you can work from home, you might still find that it’s hard to, well, actually work. Rebecca Bollwitt has been working from home for about as long as I have (and she’s been very successful at it). Heed her advice on how to be productive while working from home. Having a separate home office has helped a lot, but I haven’t really tried having a faux commute. Maybe a stroll around the block, while maintaining social distancing, of course.
But social distancing isn’t the only way we’re battling COVID-19. Dr. Elisa Song walks you through all the steps for washing your hands the right way. You’ve likely seen the many memes for how to track the 20 to 30-second length of time you should be washing your hands. Like the Team Rocket speech. Or the Rick Roll chorus. Don’t let us down! Did you know that 30% of people don’t even wash their hands after going to the bathroom?!
So, your job is now remote. And you’re washing your hands. Where do you start? Colin Dean breaks down everything you need for equipping your home office for “new” remote work job. You probably already have a computer, of course, but what else do you need to get? You’d be surprised how far good lighting can go (smart lighting can be even smarter!). What about audio and video for all those Zoom calls? How are you maintaining your posture?
We end on a completely different note with the one and only Karen Frazier. Life can feel like a series of coincidences sometimes, but really you may be getting hearts from guardian angels. Put another way, the universe could be telling you things, especially when times get tough or the situation takes an unfortunate turn (to the hospital, no less). “We just need to pay attention.”
Unfortunately I’ve had to give up my faux commute coffee shop visits. Now, I do a couple of laps around the kitchen and prepare John a lunch to take to work ?