The Lassonde community is staying engaged through our fun social media challenges. Our latest challenge was for everyone to share a work tip on Instagram that has helped them stay on-task and organized while working from home. Read through the other tips below. We hope some of them will help you.
Everyone who participated was entered into a drawing to win a $100 gift card to Amazon for office supplies (or whatever they want) to help them stay organized. Find the original Instagram posts with all the tips here.
The winner was Pearl Patel. She won against dozens of other people who entered the contest after a random drawing. She shared this tip: “Make a list of things and keep a planner of things you need to finish, highlight different colors which is more important and least important and work your way down, and then cross out the assignments when finished for satisfactions. This helps motivate you to finish your list of to-dos with satisfaction!”
Participate in more upcoming challenges. There will be cash prizes, gift cards to Amazon, and more. Find a description and instructions for the other challenges here. Also visit our calendar to find more events and engage in them: lassonde.utah.edu/calendar
Work Tip Submissions
“Make time for work but stay active! Working from home means you can take a designated break and go on a walk in the sun. Being outdoors has been the biggest help to keep me focused when it’s time to work! ” —@aspenfrancisss
“Make a daily schedule for yourself and set goals for what you will do once the quarantine and pandemic is over. By allowing yourself to have a daily schedule you will not be so overwhelmed by the gravity of this current situation and climate. Allow yourself to not dwell on the negatives of this situation by having plans and goals for what is to come once this situation is over. Lean on your loved ones and family, develop positive affirmations, and keep moving through this. You’ve got this! Although we do not know when or how this will end, we know that this soon shall pass. So remain focused on keeping your mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual selves afloat!” — @elondarthard
“Finding a boundary of a work on home space is hard! So try your best to make it a separate space and be strict with what you use your spaces for! Open your window and drink your water when working! (You’re basically a very smart houseplant!)” — @sam.dalton83
“A huge part of work is being able to not only see your co-workers, but being able to socialize with them as well! By only having virtual meetings, oftentimes casual conversation and fun chats are pushed to the side. Find a way to connect together with your colleagues by putting together calls with the sole intention of just chatting and hanging out! Try setting up a lunch or coffee chat with your co-workers!” — @brianhpham
“I have an extra room that I have not used, so I have been using it as a storage. I cleaned it up and decorated as a office with chairs and desks. My personal office has a fan so I can work in hot summer. It’s even quiet so I can concentrate on my work or communicate with people using the Zoom facial meeting. Hope you all be safe and work hard!” — @jin_hwanh
“MAKE DAILY TO DO LISTS! Nothing ever gets done in an organized manner if you don’t have a list to check off. Plus, it feels amazing to check things off and it shows all your hard work is going towards something as important as getting ready for the day. Side tip: Add fun breaks in between work on your to-do list. Then you have something to look forward to.” — @sydneymyers3
“Noise canceling headphones have been a game changer. I use them when listening to lectures, conference calls, or background music while I work. I no longer have to tell my sister to stop screaming on the phone or to turn down the music. The noise canceling has allowed my family to continue their normal life while I am able to concentrate and get work done. Plus these will be put to use on airplanes when I can travel again!” — @jaxon_stuart
“As my mother always said … calendar, calendar, calendar.” — @evok.clothing
“My tip is keeping your work space clean! That way you feel organized and don’t get distracted. Doing quick little clean ups every day make it so you dont clean up a huge disaster later.” — @ashleytahi_
“Try to have a allocated working space whether it’s your couch or a table. Avoid sitting on your bed and doing your work as it would make you feel sleepy. Having a set space not only help you to concentrate when you’re sitting there but also a good habit to have as you know it’s time to focus when you’re there.” — @angiedeng1234
“Work in blocks to avoid disruptive email checking and other distractions to productivity.” — @anniestuder
“Before you go to work on something, make sure to silence your phone and put it far from where you’re sitting. For me, phones are a huge time suck and make projects that should take an hour last all day.” — @hamy_cam
“Make a list of things to accomplish in the day and don’t stop until all items have been checked off!” — @kumarshivani285
“Make sure you shower/get dressed (or whatever you typically do). It’s easy to want to be in your PJs all day but getting ready helps you focus and not slump into unproductive behavior.” — @brandon_pope10
“Dedicate space to work only so you have a clear zone or room to leave when the workday is done to rest and relax.” — @kevinc_burns
“Take breaks! Staying focused is important but no one can stay on task all the time. Breaks are important because they free up your mind and let you focus more effectively. Personally, I use the Pomodoro method which is basically that you work for 25 mins and then take a break for 5 mins and that is one cycle. Figure out how many cycles you need to complete a task and that way it’s easy to manage your work and break time!!” — @aakash_kul
“I have been using Google Keep to keep track of everything I need to do for the day or even the week. I’ll just use the check boxes and check off as I complete tasks. I know it is basically like keeping a to-do list on paper, but I have found, for me, that I prefer using Google Keep and I will actually put my tasks on there, whereas I had a hard time actually wanting to write them all out.” — @nikkib1301
“Work in approximately 1-hour sessions with five to ten-minute breaks in between sessions, set a working goal for each session, and leave your phone in another room to prevent distractions. This will prevent burnout and maximize productivity.” — @brad.wilcox4
“If you like to listen to music while working, Spotify has a playlist called ‘Brain Food’ which is comprised of upbeat non-lyrical songs that tend to stimulate brain activity.” — @brad.wilcox4
“Falling into work mode for long periods of time can be pretty easy. Make sure to get outside and do some exercise! A short 2 or 3 mile run does wonders for your brain. When you return to your work you’ll be surprised how much more productive you are.” — @cadewhit01
“This isn’t something I always adhere to but texting someone my to-do’s for the day mentally reinforces my goals and makes me much more likely to be productive. This helps me to be more accountable for my time and also makes me feel less isolated working alone.” — @briannabernhardt
“My tip from working from home is being patient with yourself during this time of adapting and transitioning. I think we are all trying our best but be sure to give time to yourself to adjust and make a good healthy routine. I also think a best tip is to make google calendar your best friend! It’s super helpful to lay out your objectives for the week and keep you on track. I personally use the “ tasks” bar to the right extensively.” — @veronicaxxa
“Try to only work at a designated work area and avoid working on the couch or in your bed. This has helped me to separate work time from relaxation time.” — @syd.ostendorf
“Write down everything you need to work on each day and cross them out as you complete each task. In addition to that break up your day so you’re not working on one thing for a long period of time. This helps separate topics your studying in your mind so you don’t mix them up or forget anything important. Things I like to do to break up my day is go get some coffee, go for a walk, make a nice meal, study a different subject in a new place like tanning outside and reading at the same time! Also make sure to do a physical activity in between your work for a break, this not only helps break up your day but also wakes you up and makes you feel energized! I like to do yoga or a muscle targeted workout in the mornings before I start my day!” — @ashleydabb
“Start a planner! Write down what you’re going to do through the day to stay on task and make sure you complete everything! Make sure to include breaks throughout your day to take walks, grab a snack, or just chill out, it makes the day feel much more manageable when you have time to relax! Also make your planner artsy and pretty! I find that when I’m having fun scheduling my day it makes it much more exciting to do those things. Lastly, work in a separate area from your bedroom, when you work in or by your bed it’s hard to separate sleep and relaxation from work. Find a table in another room and designate it as a work spot!” — @annearthurs_
“Make a to-do list the night before! You can sleep well knowing you’ve got everything you need to accomplish, written down. I would suggest putting it in order as well. If it is an ordered list, you don’t need to waste as much energy in the morning trying to recall what you need to do and how to optimize it.” — @hoytick
