Covid-19 has caught the whole world by surprise and we’re seeing the effects of the virus as it sweeps through all areas of life. While we know what it means for our health, many of us are still unsure of what it will mean for our businesses.
Understandably, this is putting huge stress on all of us.
We have four weeks of lockdown ahead of us, minimum. This can either be four weeks of driving ourselves crazy with worry, or four weeks used wisely, working on your businesses to ensure it survives once this temporary measure is over.
Here at HPE, we’re doing the latter. We’re focussing on how we can better our business as well as our clients’ businesses. When everything returns to normal – which it will – we want to ensure we’re all still relevant in the digital world.
Focus your energy into keeping your business afloat during the Covid-19 lockdown. We’re here to help.
Productivity will pay off
We know how difficult it can be to find motivation in times of stress. And, right now, many of us are feeling highly stressed.
But it’s more important than ever to be productive, to keep your business running. There will no doubt be tasks that have taken a back seat while you’ve prioritised daily operations. Well, now’s your chance to clear them all up!
Now is also the perfect time to take a good look at your business and realise what works and what doesn’t. The world is changing and your business can too! Just imagine what you can achieve over the coming four weeks.
One of our clients, Jason Lougher from Legacy Accountants, has been very proactive in helping businesses navigate the uncharted territory brought about by the crisis. Jason has set up the Business Owners Covid-19 Discussion Page on Facebook where you can engage with people in similar situations. We encourage you to join. You can do so here.
Here at HPE, we’re trying to keep things as normal as possible. While we completely understand that some of our clients need some breathing space, we’re still working hard on our SEO campaigns for the rest.
The harder we work, the easier it will be for our clients to keep their heads above water.
Learning to work from home
Home is where we all need to be right now so home is also your new office.
With that comes plenty of adjustments.
This whole situation will test your patience in ways you have never had it tested before. Adjusting to your new workspace will require patience.
Believe it or not, working from home is actually a skill and one you’ll need to learn. If you’ve never worked from home before, you might encounter a few new challenges. Be patient with this, you’ll soon figure out what works for you.
As an online business, our entire team work remotely. It’s safe to say we’re experts in working from home and are here to share some top tips with you.
- Get up and get dressed as though you are going to work. Start your day in the right headspace.
- Set up a designated workspace, away from too many distractions.
- Work during the time of day when you’re most productive. For some, this is the first thing in the morning, for others, this is late at night.
- What works for someone else may not work for you. Find how you work best and stick to that.
- Set yourself some break times and use these wisely. Don’t spend all day lurking around the pantry.
- Set daily goals and try your best to achieve them. Making a list and crossing tasks off is one of the most effective ways to feel productive.
Working with your new colleagues
Where we chose to spend the lockdown is where we must stay for the entire period. Wherever you are, this is now your ‘bubble’ and whoever is sharing your bubble is now considered a colleague.
Flatmates, spouses, parents, siblings or children… your new colleagues might make getting things done a little difficult.
This is where your designated workspace is so important.
Choosing the dining table will put you in the centre of the action and you’ll be constantly distracted.
You’ll also find that those in your ‘bubble’ won’t take your situation seriously.
Even a small space in your bedroom is a much better workspace location. We know not all households are set up to make it easy to work from home. But if there’s a quiet space where you can remove yourself from your colleagues, you’ll be much more productive with your time.
Be kind to yourself and to those around you
If there’s one lesson we’re all going to learn from this experience, it’s that kindness goes a very long way. Kindness to others and to ourselves.
It is going to take a lot of patience to work through this period of time. There will be days where you’ll feel frustrated but we all have to stay positive. This is out of our control so take things one day at a time.
We found this great article with lots of advice for small businesses dealing with Covid-19. Here you’ll find plenty of useful tools to keep your business safe during such an uncertain time. We recommend you check it out. Take a look here.
We’re at the beginning of a long road ahead and, for small businesses, it may feel like there’s no end in sight. But there is, and we will get there together.
Use this time wisely and give your business the best chance of survival.
Our SEO, content marketing and social media services will enable your business to maintain a healthy online presence.
Rather than starting from scratch, keep your online presence consistent, even in a time like this.
We can do this for you and it’s important to know that a little goes a long way.
Call us today. We would love to get to know you and chat about how we can help your business stay afloat during Covid-19.
