5 Business Tips to Maximize This Time

These 5 business tips are actually things that you should continue even when self-isolation is a thing of the past. They are valuable additions to your daily life, and as studies tell us, it usually takes 66 days to establish a new habit. Use this time to incorporate these habits.

Have a routine – and be sure it includes definitive breaks during the day. Research at The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has shown that “attention isn’t a finite resource and it diminishes as the day goes on.” Regular short breaks increase productivity. The ideal work/break time depends on the individual. But the average was an interval of 60-90 minutes of work with a break of 10-15 minutes. This could also help while the entire family is home if you set focused work times during the day (with no interruptions) and then have 10-15 minute breaks planned every hour or so. The kids work on their homework, and you can focus on your own work. Then vary the activities during those breaks. You might get outside for a quick walk, take a short nap, watch a funny video or an animal video, play with the family pet, do some high-intensity exercise, or whatever else you and your family come up with. Use some time in the evening to create and plan the “break time” activities for the following day and get the entire family involved.

Exercise. Beyond the exercise you may include in your short breaks during the day, find an exercise you enjoy and incorporate that into your daily routine. It helps with both your physical and mental health.

Set up a regular Virtual Coffee with several others you know in the design business. Face-to-face virtual gatherings can help you all feel less isolated and can keep you connected with others in your industry who don’t even live in your town or state. It is also a great opportunity to brainstorm business ideas or solutions to the challenges you might be facing.

Optimize your operations. This is the perfect opportunity to implement those operational improvements you’ve been putting off and your future self will thank you for it! Be sure to include your team in this project. Have short virtual meetings to brainstorm and assign tasks as you work on these areas. Standardize processes and procedures, create manuals and guidelines, utilize online professional development courses and encourage your team to do so, experiment with team task / scheduling / communication software to improve efficiency in the future. Attack one area at a time, complete it, and then move on to the next.

Finally, use your creativity to connect with past, present, and potential clients. Focus that connection on helping them get through this time by brightening their day. Spend a little time researching and you’ll find there are some very clever, inexpensive ideas out there, and helping them will make you smile too.

“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning how to dance in the rain.” – Vivian Greene