Tips for working from home – from Dan Tustin, Operations Controller, Hazelton Mountford

30 March 2020

To start our week off on a positive note, we ask our Operations Controller, Dan Tustin, for some top tips for remote working whilst staying in touch with clients, colleagues and proactive thoughts.

Dan says:

I am no stranger to working from home and in normal circumstances, I usually find it extremely productive.

However as the we all find ourselves gripped by COVID-19, the element of choice has somewhat been taken away from us and we are forced to self-isolate.

For most of us — even the introverts among us — this period might test our emotional fortitude, all the more so because there is uncertainty around when this period of isolation will end.

Here are a few simple tips/reminders to help keep you motivated, productive and most importantly positive during this time!

Focus on what you can control. Instead of on what we can’t — doing so empowers us rather than victimises us. With a little more time on our hands than usual, perhaps this is even an opportunity to come out the other side as better versions of our current selves.

Try to maintain normal routines. Try to stay as close to your normal routine as possible. Maintain some kind of structure from your pre-quarantine days. If the new you is working from home, start your day as you would normally have.

Stay Connected, Socialise Online — with video. Keep in touch with your family, friends and colleagues via Skype, FaceTime, a phone call, texting… really any form of digital communication. Ask how they are and let them know how you are!

If you’re used to getting up and walking over to a colleague’s desk, then use Microsoft Teams, Zoom or other software that allows you to have video conversations with colleagues rather than just emailing them. Staying connected is important as it helps us to manage stress.

Focus on the positives. It is almost impossible to know exactly what the future looks like!

Try not to obsess over things; What will happen next? How long am I going to be trapped in the house? When will this all end?

Instead try to focus your mind on more positive things.

For me personally, I am enjoying the unexpected, precious time to spend with my two beautiful children whilst I have the chance. Before too long, life will return to how it once was and its unlikely we will ever have such an opportunity again.

Even in the darkest of times, we must try to find a flicker of light at the end of the tunnel.

Stay Safe, Dan Tustin

Operations Controller & Senior Account Handler to Simeon Chapman ACII

Hazelton Mountford Limited