Making the Most of Slower Times at Work

Continuing our theme this week of making sure to implement variety in your professional routine by hitting the pause button from time to time instead of always proceeding full steam ahead, today we’ll be examining ways to make the most out of slower times in your remote workplace. Think of it as a chance to do some spring cleaning! And strange as it may seem during this unprecedented moment, this brief pause also offers up opportunities to celebrate. Even matters that feel like small victories are worth taking the time to acknowledge and appreciate. Read on to see what the pros we’ve highlighted below have to say about the best ways to use your downtime to your advantage in any professional environment.

We love these two easy tricks from Career Contessa. First up, “Clean. Up. Your. Desktop. You know, the place where screenshots go to die. Make it sparkle.”  This will also make it easier to find the files you most need for work–and allow you to locate them even more quickly. Taking a moment during this slower period to clean up your desktop will allow you to get off to a running start when work picks back up. Speaking of tidying up, make sure to also follow this step: “Clean off your desk. Don’t just shuffle everything around. Take everything off of it, pull out the spray cleaner and give the whole thing a nice wipe down.” Whether you’re on-site or remote, this suggestion is a great way to sanitize your work station while also making it aesthetically pleasing. Hit pause and allow yourself to give your desk a thorough cleaning and rearranging. Doing so will give a boost to your mood whenever you see your space, in addition to making it easier to find whatever you’re looking for–which will only help you save time down the line!

And you won’t want to miss this tip from Jacquelyn Smith at Forbes: “Track accomplishments. Most of us don’t have time to take inventory of our accomplishments—but a slow day at work provides the perfect opportunity to do this.” It can be easy to feel down while navigating the transition spring offers up, moving from winter into summer and having weather conditions that can produce up and down moods. Experiencing that is only human! But keep in mind that, as the saying goes, any April showers will soon bring May flowers! Similarly, the seeds you’ve planted all throughout your professional journey have blossomed along the way. Take the time now to hit pause so that you can to celebrate how far you’ve come. The boost to your mood will provide a positive energy that you can then share with your bosses and co-workers, even from afar.

You can also combine these three steps: cleaning up your virtual desktop and your physical desk are both accomplishments! While they may feel small, each small opportunity you’re able to take advantage of during these slower times in your professional environment will help fuel you, allowing you to more easily tackle larger obstacles at work later. Use this time to cross off items on your to do lists. And make sure you’re keeping track of each completed item–AKA every reason to celebrate. We’ll see you back here tomorrow for our Wednesday Wellness: Pause edition with even more ways to make the most out of any pace called for in your workplace.

Image retrieved from Pixabay under the public domain.

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