If you own a business and you’ve been attempting to run things during the pandemic, you’ll know just how hard it has been to get by.

Perhaps you had to shut down for a while and now you’re trying to get things back off the ground - it’s easy to feel burned out when you’re having to work 10 times harder during one of the most terrifying things to ever happen in our time.

If you’re starting to feel like your focus is wavering and you’re unsure of what to do, these pandemic productivity hacks can help you. 

Having The Discipline To Stop Working

As a business owner, your issue likely isn't finding the discipline to start work - but the discipline to stop working.

Your working day can easily melt into the rest of your time, and before you know it, you’ve been working right through to the evening with nary a break to get you by. Of course, it’s even harder to figure out what you should be doing during a global pandemic.

You probably have a ton of other decisions to make, such as schooling, caring for your children, and keeping your household in order. These things can easily creep up on you and cause a lot of stress if you let them. There are many reasons you may find yourself working without a break. For example:

• There are no visual queues to remind you to stop working or take a break.
• No physical separation from your work life and home life. 
• The feeling that because you’re at home, you don’t really need a break. 

There’s definitely an element of feeling guilty when working from home. For example, some feel guilty and like they’ve already got it ‘easy’, so they should work more than they usually would. This means that avoiding burn out will take a huge mindset shift and some behavioural changes. 

Come Up With An End Of Day Routine 

Getting into work mode at the start of the day is one thing, but making sure you wind down is so important, too. Putting boundaries in place is key. Having an end of day ritual that is personal to you and helps you to shut off will allow you to begin your wind down and stop working. 

Establish Physical Boundaries

Physical boundaries include things like getting dressed. Getting dressed in actual clothes signals that it’s time to get up and get started on the day. If you sit around in your pyjamas, then you won’t get any work done.

In the same breath, getting changed at the end of the day can help you begin your wind-down and signal that it’s time to stop! A change of scenery can also help, so going for a short walk could be a good way to get out of that ‘work’ headspace. 

Changing Scenery

Changes of scenery can be so powerful to your headspace. If you are struggling to get into the right frame of mind to work at home, try going to a coffee shop (although there may be restrictions in place). You could even head somewhere to work and use your phone as a dongle for a while.

Many entrepreneurs like to have a change of scenery multiple times a day to keep things interesting and stay engaged, even if they are just switching rooms in the house. Hiring virtual headquarters for meetings could be a good idea if you and your team need face to face discussions or are struggling with isolation. 

Employee Burnout

If you have employees, it’s important to note that they may also be experiencing burn out. Replacing staff is expensive and having to hire and train new members will put a bigger strain on you. It’s important to end unhealthy cycles and put employees in control of their own satisfaction.

It’s important to note, that burnout may not only be caused by work. This is why helping your team to take care of their health is key. Providing them with gym memberships, counseling, and other resources they might need can be a huge help.

Making sure they can speak to you if they are concerned about something could also make the difference between you being able to rectify a problem before it gets serious, and losing an employee. 

Check in with your team regularly, take a real interest, and be understanding. This is a hard time for everyone right now, and they may have things going on that you know nothing about.