Although Salud Mediterránea is a business, in recent years our company has grown so that, between the production of our own brand products, the in-house marketing department, and e-commerce, several of us normally work from home.
In none of the cases was the position considered as teleworking, but for one reason or another, in the end there are 3 of us who always work from home - with visits to physical stores for meetings, special projects, etc.
These days, when many of you are also working from home, we thought we might be able to help you with the strategies that help us to work efficiently.
Paula, our graphic designer, recommends the following:
1. Shower every morning and get dressed as if you were going to work outside. This helps you prepare mentally and get energized.
2- Make a list of the tasks you need to complete and define your goals for the day. Crossing things off helps you organize your time and measure your productivity.
3. Take active breaks. Sitting for long periods not only damages your back, but your entire body. Furthermore, getting up and doing some light exercises helps clear your mind.
4- Plan your meals. I usually decide what I'd like to eat the day before (although sometimes plans change), and that way when the time comes I already know what to prepare and I don't spend so much time on it. It's good to set a schedule to force yourself to take a break.
5- Set a time to finish work (I don't usually stick to this, but it's worth a try) and when I finish, do something relaxing. (Have a cup of tea while watching a series, read for a while, do some embroidery…)
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Lorena, our representative for the Esencia Verde cosmetics brand, recommends:
1- Have an area of the house designated as a workspace, where there is light and you feel it is a friendly environment to work in.
2- Have a set work schedule.
3- Establish several communication channels with your colleagues. Remote work is greatly facilitated with WhatsApp groups or other communication methods that are most suitable for everyone.
4- Be consistent in your work and complete the tasks that are due each day, without accumulating too much work for a specific day. Therefore, for my work, it's essential to use a planner in which I write down the tasks to be done each day.
5- Maintain constant communication with the rest of the team to continue feeling that you are part of it, because sometimes you may feel isolated and disconnected from your colleagues.
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I'm Olivia, the e-commerce manager. I'm also a mother of two young children, who are currently at home with me. I recommend:
1. Get up before the children—without showering or having breakfast (so as not to make noise)—and get as much work done as you can. For me, some days it's an hour, and other days two, depending on how early I manage to get up and what time my children wake up.
2- Establish breaks: For me, the first break is when my children wake up, we have breakfast together, and I get them ready for school. Now that school is at home, I give them tasks they can do independently while I get some more work done.
3- I try to do phone calls while walking around the house. Sitting all day isn't good, and this way I easily add steps to my count. Now that in many places you can't leave home, this is very important.
4- Team up whenever possible. My husband works very long hours a week (in the restaurant industry), and he still goes to work every day. When he's home, I tell him how much time I need to work so he can decide what kind of activity to do with the children.
5- Working at night: When I have work to do, I usually do it at night, once the children have gone to sleep. Since I manage a website, this schedule works well for me, as I can update the site when we have less traffic. If you've ever contacted us very late on social media and we've responded quickly, it's because those are the hours when I take advantage of the quiet at home to work.
We hope our experience helps you during this time. Thank you for staying home.