How Meerkat is Staying Productive While Working From Home During COVID-19
From Cozy Clothing to the Perfect WFH Space, Here’s Our Favorite Ways to Stay Productive (and Sane!) While Getting Sh*t Done
Working from home? Us too. Though we’re lucky to be able to bring most of our work online, the transition has required a bit of trial and error. Whether it’s managing our snack intake or figuring out how to find a work-life balance when everything is done in our living rooms, Team Meerkat has been working diligently on perfecting the work-from-home lifestyle. We caught up with everyone to ask for their top tips on staying productive during these times as well as their favorite ways to get cozy and wind down after a busy day.
Kristin Bigalke, Director
Favorite Ways to Stay Productive: “Having a dedicated WFH space is crucial, even if I find myself moving around the house a bit. I found that our kitchen breakfast counter is the perfect height for a “stand up desk”, so sometimes I’ll move from my home desk to the kitchen (which can be dangerous for snacking!). I try to spend a few quiet minutes before jumping into email by meditating and reflecting on the day ahead, after making some Rasa adaptogenic coffee alternative, which fuels me for the day minus the caffeine jitters.
Meerkat is run on organization, so managing tasks and deadlines via Asana is super important to how we conduct internal workflows. Remembering to stand up and stretch or do some pushups is helpful to keep the blood pumping. Also, sticking to a regular bedtime schedule, and wake up schedule, and changing from my PJs to my WFH outfit, which is typically activewear, is helpful.”
Staying Cozy: “I typically stop working around 6 pm and try to get in a workout before winding down. I’ll jump on my old spin bike in my garage (I love CycleCast for audio spin classes, which have a great soundtrack), or do a virtual class via my local gym, Funkytown Fitness. I’ve also been enjoying red wine in the evening with a nostalgic episode of Dawson’s Creek (or anything from the 90s via Hulu).”
Brady Bigalke, Creative Director/Filmmaker
Favorite Ways to Stay Productive: “Water, RASA, coffee, headphones, and an iMac.”
Staying Cozy: “Hanging out with family, keeping up with my YouTube, stretching, talking to friends sometimes on the phone, and playing computer games. Also I have been at the airport quite a bit working on the airplane.”
Amanda Olivero, Content Marketing Manager
Favorite Ways to Stay Productive:
1. Having a good WFH set-up. I have a desk set up nice to a window so I get plenty of natural light, always keep a water bottle full and have a mug warmer set up for my coffee! Having a designated area for work helps get me in the mindset to conquer my tasks for the day.
2. Having a set schedule and keeping careful track of time. I try to start work by the same time every day. (Pro-tip: Set your coffee pot to auto-brew at the same time each morning. Fresh coffee is great to wake up to!) I also use timers to give me an idea of how long certain tasks are taking. When you time each task, it helps you resist the urge to get distracted by things around your house or even scrolling your phone! Gotta focus.
3. Breaks outside! If I feel my focus slipping, I’ll hop on my bike and do a loop around the neighborhood to refresh my brain and get some Vitamin D.
4. Having an early bedtime. Even if you have nowhere to be, a steady sleep schedule is good for the mind.
Staying Cozy:
1. Trying new recipes with Hello Fresh delivery. Staying confined to the house can start to make every day look the same… it’s nice to have new food to look forward to a couple times a week!
2. Taking extra good care of my house plants and pets. There’s no better time to make sure they all feel extra cared for and loved!
3. Watching Grey’s Anatomy from the start. I’ve never seen it before and there’s plenty of episodes so I won’t run out!
4. Daily workouts, perks of living with a personal trainer!
5. Reading the books I’ve been meaning to get to, spending time in the garden, drinking wine, and playing Animal Crossing!
Bonus: My friends and I set up a Quarantine Secret Santa of sorts. We are all in different cities but got assigned someone to ship a gift to! Going to open them all together on another Zoom call.
Madeleine Schneider, Content Marketing Manager
Favorite way to stay productive: “Going outside as much as possible! I’m very grateful that the weather’s been cooperating so I can enjoy working on my porch. I’m also making sure to get started on work at the same time each day, so I can have some consistency to my schedule.”
Staying Cozy: “I’ve been watching old seasons of The Amazing Race to satisfy my travel bug while staying inside. I’m also experimenting with becoming my own barista and creating new coffee and tea concoctions! (Have you all seen dalgona coffee yet? It’s what work-from-home coffee dreams are made of!)”
Alyssa Bantad, Digital Advertising Strategist
Favorite way to stay productive: “Having a dedicated work space is as essential for my home productivity, as is an afternoon break. Recently I have been taking a walk around my neighborhood and then replenishing my energy with plenty of snacks… popcorn for my savory needs and all the homemade cookies for my sweet!”
Staying Cozy: “ I’ve been using the quarantine to redevelop my love of old hobbies and start new ones. Baking/cooking, yoga, gardening, and writing letters to family and friends (did you know April is National Letter Writing Month?)”
Charlie Dunne, Digital Advertising Strategist
Favorite way to stay productive:
- Working in my office at the apartment provides structured environment.
- Keeping headphones on listening to a podcast while working allows a bit of a conversational feel, that way I am not feeling isolated or lonely.
- Keeping my office clean helps me feel organized mentally.
- While taking breaks, I will leave my work area.
- Working near a window provides a bit of a view to the world, yet is not distracting like a back porch.
- I try to keep my cell phone in a separate corner of my office, that way the urge to be distracted is kept to a minimum.
Staying Cozy:
- Checking in with family during the afternoon evening and trying to FaceTime them is a nice way to stay connected.
- During the evenings, I have committed to watching an episode or two of a funny show rather than end the evenings on any news channels (currently watching Parks & Recreation).
Gabrille Ervin, Social Media Assistant
Favorite way to stay productive: “I wrote down a schedule for myself to try and stay on routine so that I stay productive; I try to bike every morning at the same time, making breakfast before sitting down at my desk and then stopping for lunch around the same time everyday to re-energize and move my body by walking my dog or doing a quick yoga practice. My roommate and I try not to have the TV on during “work hours” and just play music in the background while we work.
Staying Cozy: “We cozy up every night by cooking dinner and eating as a group and then settling on the couch with a glass of wine, home-made baked goods that we can indulge in and a show (we’ve already finished Tiger King but now we’re on to Little Fires Everywhere, so good!!)”
Meghan Flynn, Social Media Assistant
Favorite way to stay productive: “When working from home I keep realistic expectations when it comes to allowing for distractions. I dedicate a period of time to focus on work and then allow for some free time in between tasks. This allows me to fight the urge to get distracted with other things because I know I have free time set aside. Also, setting up boundaries with my boyfriend so he doesn’t interrupt me when I am focusing has helped a lot. I also listen to jazz or lofi music which helps keep my attention.
Staying Cozy: “I have been exercising a lot in my free time. The sun and fresh air helps keep my spirit up while cooped up. I have been watching a lot more movies that I have been wanting to see and playing a lot of scrabble. Every day I ponder buying a Nintendo Switch so I can play Animal Crossing.”
Sydney Gorak, Intern
Favorite way to stay productive: “A few things that have kept me productive while working from home are listening to music, watching Project Runway on Hulu and The Great British Baking Show on Netflix. Finding my inner-piece with yoga sessions on YouTube, going on walks and jogs around my neighborhood in downtown St. Augustine. Staying connected with family and friends through zoom and FaceTime and DIY projects.”
Staying Cozy: “DIY projects include creating a charcuterie board or following DIY fashion trends in the media such as cutting up an old pair of jeans and transforming them into shorts.”
