The first part of 2020 will be remembered as the best part of the new decade for sure. There was the largest wildfire that’s ever registered in Australia, the untimely death of one of the biggest NBA players in the last two decades, and the worst of all is the Covid-19 pandemic that’s threatening and continues to threaten almost every country in the world.
The rise of Covid-19 is an unrivaled time, forcing the majority of people to stay home to help maintain public health and safety, and to try to flatten the curve. Almost every economy in the world is impacted, economies are down, businesses halted and closed. Thousands of people all over the world lost their jobs.
Regardless of who you are and what you do, an entrepreneur, artist, programmer, etc., being stuck at home does not grant you focus or energy automatically. The big question is, how to stay productive? The IT industry fortunately is still awake, with programmers and developers working remotely worldwide.
Programmers have no difficulty isolating themselves from the rest of the world—for the time being at least. A lot of developers, including those who provide NodeJS development services in particular, are fortunate to work remotely already or switch to a remote lifestyle easily. Nonetheless, changing from working alongside coworkers in an office setting to working from home could be challenging.
Working from home could be an equally effective way to be productive and possibly excel in ways you were not able to do before. When working at home, how do you manage to not lose the sense of time and make the most of it? The fact is that now we have more extra non-work time on our hands—chances are high that we may even lose track of what day it is.
So, how do software developers, web developers, engineers stay clear headed during this quarantine? There are fortunately options to help you boost your skills even while working at home. For instance, if you’re a software or web developer working in a NodeJS development company, you could still remain very productive even without the presence of your co-developers of the development team. Check these out.
1. Get Dressed
You might think: “why get dressed when you’re just at home, not having to be with your co-developers in an office?” Getting dressed allows separating the time between sleeping, working, and your free time. Changing into work clothes from pajamas helps you to get into a professional mode and mindset, which would flow into everything you do.
Getting dressed means that you have to get work-ready, the clothes you usually wear at work. For most, it of course involves taking a shower, combing your hair, and so on.
2. Maintaining a Regular Schedule
Ignoring the clock is easy when you’re working from home. This unfortunately could lead to bad habits, disconnection from the rhythm of the outside world, and inferior time management. Maintaining a regular schedule helps build a structure and the most effective and efficient use of time.
Set a particular time to wake up and go to bed, and keep regular office hours to focus on your work. Make it a point to set aside time for your self-care, as well as explore hobbies to make sense of relaxation and balance in your life.
3. Make a Good Balance on Work/Life
The line between work and personal life gets blurry when you work from home. Getting into the habit of checking your email and slack notifications could get easy, as well as working past normal hours without you realizing it. To avoid overworking and possibly burning out, make sure to take steps to separate your personal life from work.
If space allows, consider setting up a spare room as your office so that the work area is separate physically from the rest of your home. Another option would be to be accountable for specific work hours, and allot time for personal enrichment and relaxation.
4. Limit News Intake
If you have extra free time, binge-watching the news could be tempting. Naturally, you would want to stay informed during these uncertain times. Nevertheless, overdoing the intake of news could lead to anxiety because of the flood of over-sensationalized news content.
Of course, it’s important to stay informed, but take a break and watch or read content that brings joy. With all the news about laid-off workers, stranded individuals, people going hungry, it’s easy to become anxious, fearful and eventually become depressed. Do watch news from reliable sources to stay informed, but again limit what is necessary for you to know.
5. Remain Connected
Even if you’re in isolation to protect not just yourself but others as well, you are not alone. Living in the age of so many digital options and tools enables instant connection all throughout the world. Take advantage of video chatting, calling, or connecting on social media networks with family and friends to avoid the feeling of isolation.
Although digital connection does not replace actual and physical connections, it would help you to feel sane during these hard times. Better yet, stay away from fancy technology once in a while and make a phone call instead. This is particularly important if you have elderly loved ones stuck in retirement communities and nursing homes who don’t know how to use technology.
6. Develop your Career
Simply because you’re stuck at home does not mean your career is stuck as well. There is a huge range of remote tools that you could use to boost your skills, work towards a promotion or find a new position. A NodeJS development company for example provides learning communities that meet virtually every week to plunge deep into several highly technical topics.
You could also upload your resume to online resume databases of software and web development companies to get your credentials in front of some of the top notch tech companies around.
7. Go Outside if Possible
Depending on the guidelines of your locality, sheltering in places does not mean that you would be stuck in your house. Go outside for a walk or exercise, but maintain social distancing. Sunlight and fresh are healthy for your body, and could break the stagnation from being stuck at home.
Go out to a park but make sure there’s a lot of space between you and others, at least six feet. Consider taking your dog for a walk around the block, which is a great way to have some exercise and get fresh air.
8. Simply Breathe
The world today is full of uncertainty, but keep in mind that this is temporary. Make certain to take the right precautions to keep yourself and your loved ones safe. You’ll survive this pandemic and continue to succeed in your tech career.
In these trying times, as long as you remain smart, calm, and take time for self-care, you’ll stay sane whatever happens. If you like, you could turn on a meditation app, making sure to simply consciously breathe for five minutes.
The Probably Long Impact of Coronavirus on Software Development
While eventually the pandemic would pass at some point, the impact of new behaviors and catalyst changes that accompanied the pandemic could not be denied. It goes beyond consumer behavior, making ways for changes in all industry verticals, including software development, which require developers and engineers to be highly focused and adaptable on resilient software.
To start with, we must consider software product strategy. Software is essential in every business vertical across industries. Software development organizations should be able to revisit their strategy, from how customers do business with them, to engagement channels, putting into priority the needs and the experience of users, including the journey of a customer that’s both elegant and functional.
Second, the way we work would be affected forever. With the pandemic, it became clear that remote working isn’t a luxury, but a trustworthy and legitimate alternative to our day-to-day house-office routine. With the right conference, collaboration, and even pair-programming tools, remotely handling and managing a team is possible.
Getting started with a culture that enables developers to work anywhere, anytime is crucial. Third and last, outsourcing is proven to be an entirely game-changing solution today and in the long run. Letting organizations hire offshore teams in places that are less impacted by the pandemic and with competitive offers with high quality standards would enable diffusing enterprise risks in all industries that are looking for software solutions.
Outsourcing is not narrowed down to big companies alone, because it suits startups and small and medium businesses as well. It leverages the benefits of incubation without more expenses, such as hiring new talents or relocating a team.
Conclusion
For all developers out there, don’t think that just because you’re stuck at home does not mean being stuck in your career as well. There are many ways to take advantage of extra time in your hands and stay sane during these quarantine days.
Again, you will survive this pandemic and resume your career journey in the IT field.
When this arrives, wouldn’t it be great for you to emerge with new knowledge and new skills?
Author Bio: Olivia is a technology observer and blogger who is interested in Web & Mobile Application Development. Being a tech geek, she keeps a close watch over the industry focusing on the latest technology news and gadgets.
Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/diazoleevia
Email: diazolivia019@gmail.com