We find ourselves in a time like never before. We are adjusting to so many things like home cooked meals, trying to find toilet paper, and figuring out where to work out and we want to provide some advice on how our Accounting & Finance crowd can work from home. We are just disappointed that you can’t take advantage of this and work from Turks and Caicos!

Going into this, know that some of you are really going to thrive and enjoy working from home. Some are better suited to going into the office. It is ok wherever you fall into this spectrum. Accept it and do the best for you and your situation.

How to set yourself up for success

Tip 1. Avoid the trap of working too much: More than likely you have extra time on your hands as you do not have to drive into the office. Don’t fall into the trap of using that time to get more things done for work. Take advantage of this time to do something you have never had time for.

Success tip: Keep to your regular work schedule. If you started work at 8am continue to do so. If you want to take advantage of starting early, make sure you hold yourself accountable to leaving early too.

It is also a good idea to figure out when your ability to focus is best as this may be better than what it was for work.

Tip 2. Avoid distractions:  Yay, you have extra time in your day! You can do what ever you want at any time! 5 minutes away won’t matter! Wrong! These five minutes add up and could mean that you are not as efficient.

Success tip: We suggest having specific “work” times and specific “break” times. Our Accounting & Finance crowd leans toward structure and organization but if you are not there yet we suggest a time management tool like Toggl or Clockify to track your time to find “traps”.

If you do have others in the home make sure they respect your work time. Sure, you can’t control your 5-year-old coming in and sitting on your lap and who would want too? This is one of those things that you will look back on with fondness!

Tip 3. Avoid staying inside all day: Yes, working from home is very convenient. Walk across the hall and boom….you are at work. This great perk can also lead to a lack of Vitamin D.

Success tip: Now is a great time of the year. Make it a point to walk around the block at a minimum!

Tip 4. Avoid getting upset: Things are going to happen, its not going to be perfect. The internet is going to go down at the wrong time. The file you need is the one file that is not digital yet.

Success tip: As much as we would like to, we really cannot control everything. Take a breath and solve the problem. This could be a great time for Accounting & Finance staff to shine and be a life saver to their Controller or Finance Director!

Tip 5. Avoid listening to advice that doesn’t fit you: “How to work remotely” is a hot topic right now and everyone (even The Resource Link) is telling you how to do it.

Success tip: Working remotely is not one size fits all. Pick and choose what works for you. If you want to stay in your pajamas all day, by all means, do so!

Tip 6. Avoid FOMO and help others focus while you are at it: Everything is new, this is different; we’ve never been through this before. You want to know. What is changing, who has toilet paper in, are we staying shut down…

Success tip: The news will be there when you are done with work. Focus on what you need to do at the time you need to do it. In an effort to help others focus, try to keep slack interruptions to a minimum. Do you really need to say that or ask that now? If not wait.