6 work from home tips we’ve learned so far

With the shelter in place in effect in Northern California since last Tuesday, and more places to come soon, many of having had to shift from going to the office to working from home. WealthStep is well set up to operate as a virtual office, and should not experience any interruptions.

Here are a few remote tips we hope will help you.

Make your life easier

1. Upgrade your Internet service: Now that everyone is on your home internet service at the same time, you may experience slow or stalled service. Call your internet provider to find out if you are on an old plan or if your router is outdated.
2. Get a TEP wireless device: If you live in a place with an unreliable internet connection, consider renting or buying a TEP wireless device. Available through your mobile service provider, these devices are most often used for laptops for international travel. But, they’ll work just as well on your laptop at home for internet access.
3. Take a walk or run first thing in the morning: You’re probably going to be inside all day. Before you confine yourself, get fresh air and your heart pumping. Remember to keep your 6-foot social distance from other people who are doing the same thing.
4. Set up in a room with a lot of sunlight: Natural light is good for your mental health, and a view of a tree or any green space, especially in isolating times. Bonus: you’ll look even better on video calls.
5. Schedule a virtual social event: Don’t put your social life on hold. After your workday, do a virtual happy hour or dinner with friends and extended family to help their spirits and yours. You can also host a community coffee chat with other parents at your children’s’ schools or with members of a community organization in which you participate. Zoom and other video chat tools allow for the gallery view so it feels like you’re all in the same room with multiple people.
6. Teach life skills: With the kids at home and busy schedules on hold, give your children of all ages more chores to help around the house. A load of laundry? Make dinner? They learn life skills, and you get help!

Help those around you

Supporting your neighbors and local businesses is an essential part of navigating this COVID-19 pandemic. A few ways you can help:

1. Check-in with neighbors. Call or email those around you whom you know may need help. Join and check the neighborhood app Nextdoor regularly to see ways you can contribute. Help or get help from neighbors, children, grandparents or grandchildren. Nextdoor works well for this too!
2. Give where you can. If you have had to cancel help those that normally provide you with home services, consider paying them even though they cannot work for you right now. Even smaller amounts than usual will help. If you provide such services, consider sending thank you notes, providing coupons for future service, or offering to help in some other way that doesn’t conflict with social distancing.
3. Support local restaurants. Buy restaurant gift certificates or food to go to help your favorite restaurants stay afloat during this challenging period. Visit Saveourfaves.org for your local list.
4. Donate supplies for healthcare worker protection. Masks, gloves, hand sanitizer and other supplies are running low at local hospitals. KQED compiled and verified a list of Bay Area places where you or your business can donate. Other organizations coordinate outside of the Bay Area.

We’re all in this together

While we’re living with much uncertainty right now, the one thing we do know for certain is that we’re all in this together. We hope these tips help you. We encourage you to share your insights, ideas, and thoughts on WealthStep’s social media.