Someone asked me just the other day, “what year are you in school”, to which I responded, “I’m a senior.” I immediately asked myself if I really just said that out-loud. It seems like it was just my first day of freshman year the other day. Since committing to Endicott, I had been anticipating the excitement, nerves, and success of the internship program. After a successful completion of my first two requirements, I now must embark on my final requirement.
This semester I am an intern for Novitá Communications. This marketing and communications agency is headquartered in New York City, with a sister agency Novità Italia in Milan, Italy and has satellite offices in the South, MidWest, West Coast and New England. The agency partners with brands, creatives, innovators and thought-leaders locally and globally, to bring expertise in architecture, design and real estate, the creative and culinary arts, technology, health and wellness, and sustainability to clients and industry professionals.
While working from home has always been a reality for some, a recent one for others, this switch is a new one for me. This is the first time since the first few months of the pandemic that I have been working fully remote. Here are just a few ways that I have adjusted to working from home and plan to stay connected over the next several weeks.
- Create a comfortable environment
As I anticipated the excitement and nerves of starting my new position, my biggest concern was how I was going to stay productive. Being away at school, I was always able to craft a defined space to get work done. I knew being in my own bedroom back at home would allow me to control noise and distraction. However, I also started to know my bedroom as a place for relaxation as I traveled between school and home. I worried about falling into bad habits, like doing work from the comfort of my bed or constantly hanging out with my dog. To stay far away from these distractions I took action by…
- Buying a comfortable chair
- Keeping only the essentials at my desk
- Maintaining warm and welcoming light
- Cleaning and reorganizing at the end of each work day
- Lighting a candle or diffusing essential oils
- Keeping a Connection… Literally
Another big concern was of course how I was going to ensure that I was always able to fully communicate online with team members. I think we can all remember a time when internet connection went down and it felt like the world had stopped. My biggest fear when it came to doing school remotely during the pandemic was not being fully present because I could not access what I needed at the moment. To calm my nerves, I outsourced several options for wifi extenders. There are various brands and products of numerous styles that can give your internet a boost. I can now say being productive and staying in touch with my team has never been easier with a stable internet connection.
- Health & Wellness
As college students, we have to maintain and create solid routines for keeping up with personal hygiene and staying healthy. Cleaning on Mondays. Laundry on Sundays. Working from home is no different and creating a routine is just as important. The critical part of working from home that I have realized needs the most attention when it comes to health and wellness, is getting out of bed. I started to get up at the same time each morning and immediately making my bed. I would argue that the first step to being productive is removing yourself from the area that you dedicate to sleeping. As tempting as it is, I have also noticed the importance of changing out of your pjs and into casual/professional clothing. These simple things have helped me transition but I am sure there’s more life lessons to come.