With millions of Australians plunged back into COVID-19-related lockdowns, business owners just like you may be struggling to balance work life, home life and your sanity.
The good news is you’re not alone and there are some simple changes you can make today that may put you on the better foot forward to balance everything at once.
The team and Myssy + Co. spoke to Director, Dominic Myssy, about just how he’s managing to juggle the now-merged work and home life.
CONSIDERATIONS OF YOURSELF AND OTHERS
Let’s face it, none of us know the true dynamics of another coworker or employee’s work-from-home environment. Your preferred time for a meeting may clash with someone’s family homeschooling schedule, for example. Now is the time to be understanding that your staff may have challenging circumstances, and aim to be considerate and flexible when unforeseen circumstances arise.
One of the most fundamental pillars to the growth and progression of any business during the latest COVID-related restrictions is prioritising being considerate. What that means is taking the time to ensure everyone in your business is being considerate of their routines, considerate of spaces, and considerate of non-work time.
Considerate of Routine and Space
Establishing a routine in lockdown should be your very first step in helping to manage work alongside home distractions. And carving out spaces you can step into when you want alone time, or time just with your partner, can help you feel that little bit more normal. Even the mental wellbeing foundation, Beyond Blue, has recommended the importance of routine and ritual for adapting to the ‘new normal’.
Dominic Myssy broke down his daily routine for us, explaining how he and partner Laura now manage their careers and homeschooling two kids.
“[I] Wake up a bit later than normal but don’t have to travel so start working around 7:45am – 8am. First I make the kids breakfast and give Laura time to check emails and have time to herself before homeschooling begins,” he said.
Their routine works as a balancing act, both considerate of each other’s day-to-day tasks and roles. Allowing your partner time and space to work uninterrupted by children, and vice versa allows you to both get on top of important tasks while keeping little minds entertained.
“Kids have home schooling in the morning but Laura does that mostly – she starts them early (8am) so that they are done before midday. I try keeping afternoons free so that she can take appointments and I can work in the house near the kids/keep kids entertained.”
Factoring in exercise into your daily routine is a sure-fire way to create alone time and give yourself space from the craziness of home, as well as keep the lockdown blues away.
“I try to go out for a run and exercise around 4pm and then have dinner with the family at 6pm and then get back to work around 8pm for a couple of hours,” Mr Myssy said.
Considerate of Non-Work Time
In community building, there is a sociological concept of ‘places’; including first places (home), second places (work) and third places (space where you feel part of a community, such as a church or park). During lockdown, we are limited from our third places, and our first and second places tend to merge. This is where issues can arise.
In a recent Sydney Morning Herald article, Dr Tony Matthews, Griffith University senior lecturer in Urban and Environmental Planning, spoke of this concept and how we “can’t underestimate how vital third places are for our wellbeing.”
“[We’re also missing] the psychological transition that we go through when we move from one space to another. When you come home from work, you start to go into a different mindset and when you leave to go to work you go into a different mindset and when you go to see friends you move into a different mindset. If you’re stuck at home all the time, you get stuck in this kind of mental loop.”
From avoiding checking emails at midnight or taking work calls on weekends, being considerate of not merging these two spaces was a choice Dominic Myssy has had to make over and over again.
“I try not to do any work at all (or very minimal) on weekends so that there is some break, and the house still has some sort of resemblance of its original purpose, i.e. being a home,” Mr Myssy said.
Not every household will have the opportunity to go into their backyard or a veranda to help create this separation. But there are other solutions worth trying to be considerate of non-work time. Whether that means going to a park, having a games night in a room away from where work and school tasks happen, or something as simple as going on a walk or biking around your neighbourhood, there are so many possibilities to help.
When you’re bringing your work home with you very literally, it can be hard to stop the lines between the two from blurring. But not only that, being considerate of separating your work and non-work time may help you to avoid burnout.
“I like to cook on the weekends because Laura does the dinners during the week and I find it really relaxing, and takes my mind off work completely. All that helps with staying focused and efficient when I am actually working during the week,” Mr Myssy said.
It can be easy to feel rundown and lose motivation when juggling your own business and working from home. Consider making it a rule to disconnect from work by 6pm each day and go for a walk, establish your weekends as no-work-times, or just get in the kitchen and cook.
You’ll not only feel better mentally, but be able to be present as a parent or a member of your household during the moments that matter.
RUNNING A BUSINESS IN LOCKDOWN
Lockdown has been challenging enough for millions of Australians. But when you include the added pressure of keeping your business thriving and ensuring your employees are also avoiding burnout, it can feel like you’re playing life on ‘expert’ mode, compared to everyone else.
If you and your business are finding it challenging to keep your heads above water, don’t be alarmed. Instead, consider creating focus with tools, anticipating interruptions and remaining flexible.
The Importance of Focus
They say that ‘you don’t feel motivation, you do motivation’. When you’re struggling to focus and get through tasks, one of the hardest things you can do is wait it out until you can focus and feel motivated again.
Instead, taking the initiative to set up your day with buffers, such as organisation and scheduling apps, can help you to stay on track.
When asked how Dominic Myssy does just that, he said: “[I] just plan my day out and am realistic where I schedule tasks and meetings that require lots of concentration.”
“Planning and scheduling is key and I have a daily, and weekly, list of things to do. I create this before school starts and while the kids are in school (if I am not doing the home schooling) then I know I will not be interrupted,” he said.
Again, it comes back to a consideration of spaces and routine. If you need time to plan, find a space where you won’t be interrupted to tick off this task as quickly as possible. And if you need help with organisation and scheduling your day, there are a range of tools you may want to consider having your business use, like Asana, nTask, Trello and more.
It also helps to be realistic that interruptions will occur when working from home, and allowing some flexibility when it happens.
Dominic Myssy handles interruptions by “expecting them, adapting and scheduling work around them.”
“Also, understand that these are not normal times and that interruptions are ok. [This] removes the stress of trying to ‘fix it’,” he said.
Take the pressure off yourself, as well as your employees, that things have to run perfectly as it’s just not realistic. Try to instead set up those organisational buffers so that when you lose focus, you can all quickly jump back into work mode and shake off the interruption.
How Do Businesses Adapt in Lockdown?
So, how can businesses learn to adapt to work-from-home conditions in a lockdown? When it comes to supporting your staff, Dominic Myssy believes that flexibility, and a little kindness, is key.
“Allow [your staff] to be flexible if they have kids and need to tweak their schedules, e.g. taking breaks when kids have online music lessons.”
“Understand that they will not be able to always be available for certain activities during the standard ‘9 to 5’. In my situation, I know that I can concentrate at night, so allowing them to substitute their time for later in the day needs to be allowed,” he said.
Prioritise communication with your employees as much as you can. This doesn’t just mean being available to listen if they have concerns, but also creating the right kind of communication platforms for them.
For example, bombarding your team with daily 8am meetings could see them feel as if they’re being monitored, not communicated with. Instead, try to be considerate of your employees when establishing these platforms.
THE NEW NORMAL
The current lockdown is a great time for reflection in your business. It can highlight your strengths and your weaknesses and, most importantly, help you to see what works and what doesn’t work in terms of traditional office structure.
So, what is next for Myssy and Co. and how does Dominic Myssy predict things will look once we’re out of this lockdown?
“During the first lockdown our office worked completely from home, however, since restrictions were lifted in June, the team still only worked part time on-site,” said Mr Myssy.
“We will continue this because I think this is the optimal mix for getting the best of your team. They can be onsite to collaborate, have meetings and just mix with other people. And then they can be at home to do work that requires concentration and does not need input from any other parties.”
“That is our plan and was happening independent of COVID but I expect other businesses to do the same. COVID has normalised this and made businesses realise that it can work,” he said.
In the meantime, consider what amendments, big or small, may be worth being made to your business to be more considerate of your employees and your own routine, space and non-work time.
Even if that means locking in some Friday afternoon staff drinks via video call, organising an office virtual cooking or other skills-based class or home delivery for a romantic date night in. And don’t be afraid to shake up the communication and organisation tools you’re currently using by asking for feedback from employees about what may work best for them right now.
It’s a challenging time for everyone, and juggling a business as well as a busy household is no easy feat. But some of the best ideas and innovations come from periods of stress and pressure. Adapting to your current situation and being solutions-oriented will help your business to triumph during lockdown.