Managing the Home Office with Tanya DSilva
In the past six months, millions of people around the world had to adapt to a new way of living due to the recent pandemic. It is no longer safe to leave the house without a proper face-covering because it helps protect you and others. The corporate world also had new challenges to overcome, such as the sudden transition to a remote work setting. Many managers and employees had to become familiar with new collaboration tools while also finding new ways to stay productive in their “home offices.”
In an effort to learn more about this transition, I reached out to Tanya DSilva, a former MISA Board Member who graduated as a Gary J. Sbona Honors student here at SJSU in 2013. During our discussion, I learned more about what SJSU has to offer and how to work from home efficiently.
Tanya spent her undergraduate years as a volunteer, club officer, and intern. Her efforts in college helped her land a full-time position at Cisco after graduation. Now, she is a Senior Program Manager at VMware, a computer software company
that specializes in Cloud Infrastructure, Virtualization, and Cloud Management. Tanya is well aware that “your personal life blends into your work-life” when you work from home. As you may have experienced, there are many difficulties with this blended lifestyle. To help you manage your home office, Tanya shared the following tips.
How can I work from home efficiently while mitigating stress?
Creating a routine for yourself and setting boundaries to simulate the workplace as it was before can aid efficiency. While working from home, you may struggle to separate work from your personal life, so it is important to establish a work routine to help you stay focused. Moreover, this will help prevent burnout in the new blended lifestyle.
“Create a routine for yourself.”
Similarly, “don’t feel like you need to be working around the clock.” Before the pandemic, walking out of the office may have been your mental signal that the workday was over. However, you must create a new signal to let your mind know that it is time to relax. Do not feel the need to check your inbox constantly just because your home has become your new office.
“Don’t feel like you need to be working around the clock.”
Tanya also suggested to “use your camera as much as possible during your meetings.” Now that we no longer have face-to-face meetings, it is difficult to stay connected with your peers. Therefore, it is important to maximize your facetime during meetings to achieve this while also showing your company that you are a valuable asset to the team. However, do not feel obligated to turn your camera on for every meeting as this may lead to Zoom fatigue.
“Use your camera as much as possible during your meetings.”
Now that we are tied to our desks at home, remember to “take time off for yourself.” Although you may not be able to travel to your favorite location right now, it is important to “be present.” Do something that allows you to relieve any stress that you may have. For example, take a short trip, go on a hike, start a new house project, etc. Do not hesitate to take time off to maintain your happiness.
“Don’t be afraid to take time off for yourself.”
Lastly, try your best to “stay active.” Doing so will help relieve stress and increase your energy levels. According to the British Journal of Pharmacology, regular exercise can have “very pronounced relaxing effects” on one’s body (Vina et. al, 2012). If you are new to exercising, start light, and progressively increase the intensity of your workouts. There are many ways in which you can stay active, including hiking, biking, and yoga. Find a form of exercise that is enjoyable for you and make it a habit to exercise regularly.
“Stay active.”
