Things are not-business-as-usual right now at work, at home, and in our day-to-day lives as we cope with the global pandemic of COVID-19. Teleworking and social distancing have created new challenges for us in the different parts of our lives and as we each find our way, here are three tips that may help toward easing this transition:

1. Establishing organization and set boundaries: when teleworking, flexibility is key. Take time to figure out how your day is going to look: think about your physical workspace, the hours you are working, your morning routine, spending time with your family, and when you won’t be working. You will need new ways to do your work so give yourself the freedom to figure out what creates the best set-up for you, given the circumstances you are facing. Needless to say, it won’t look the same for everyone, so be mindful and understanding of this when working with colleagues.
   1. If there are limitations to what, and how much of your work you can do at home, you may consider accessing professional development and team training. This is something you can do as a team from a distance, or on your own. There are a lot of resources available that can be accessed for free or a low cost including NCCEP’s Study Lab. Here are some ideas to get you started:
      • Take a free team-building assessment and schedule a virtual meeting or conference call to discuss the results.
      • Read a book or an article together and schedule a virtual meeting or conference call where you discuss a chapter or two at a time each week. (Option to get you started: The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker)
2. Practice patience: be patient with yourself, friends, and family, and with your colleagues. At this point, most of us are simply trying to figure out this reality and with the combination of a 24-hour news cycle, social media, and our own information processing, it’s exhausting and can be frightening. Productivity will likely take a dip. Patience is important as everyone will adjust in different ways and everyone’s situation will be different.
   
   
3. Visibility: Even though it’s a little bit weird at first, if you have the capability to hold virtual gatherings, host them with the webcams on. Being able to see your colleagues can boost interaction levels and feelings of connectedness. If your office routine includes enjoying lunch with colleagues, there is no reason to change that: Once or twice a week, take 30-minutes, grab a lunch and sit in front of your webcam with your coworkers. Seeing each other also can help combat feelings of isolation and loneliness in a time where we are all following (or should be following) guidance to stay home and practice social distancing.
   1. Ways to connect: Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts, Facebook Messenger, Zoom Meeting, FaceTime.

There are plenty of blogs and articles that offer additional suggestions, but we are interested in hearing what you have to say as well. Please add your thoughts, tips, and ideas into the comments section and we can create a list of additional resources.