The staff at Houston Ballet continues to work hard to bring ballet to the community, even during these trying times. Hear tips from them on how they are remaining efficient and positive during this time of social distancing for your dose of Monday motivation!
Creating Work Life at Home
I’ve been using my dinner table as my “office”. I try to avoid sitting on my couch or bed while working in order to separate my “office” from my home. — Lucy Graham, Executive Assistant & Board Liaison
Keeping to my normal routine of getting up and getting ready for work has helped me separate the work week and weekends. I still get dressed in my work attire, which includes a jean friendly dress code on Fridays. — Angela Lee, Director of Marketing & PR
Don’t forget to build a workspace that is not all business. Put your pencils in a favorite mug. Burn a candle. Just like you would decorate your desk at work, add pictures of friends and family! If it’s too sterile, you will find ways of escaping. — Mary Elsey, Production Manager
Managing Workflow
Working at home can present some unique challenges, including that your home workspace lacks the cues and people that can remind you of what work you need to do. To help with this, I use checklists to record my short-term and long-term goals. It’s a great way of keeping organized and making sure I’m actually getting work done. Keeping a checklist in your head can be more taxing than the actual work that needs to be done. You won’t have the pressure of forgetting a task, and actually checking tasks as being completed is satisfying on its own. — Matt Limes, HR Coordinator
Keeping lines of communication open with online video conferencing and online chats allows me to assist staff with remote projects, as well as continue working as a team. Regular meetings and one-on-one chats using applications like Zoom and Skype promote staff interaction. I actually ‘see’ more staff now that I am home. — MJ Bavaret, Director of Information Technology
Making Adjustments
Most of us don’t have cushy office chairs in our homes and are sitting for hours on dining room chairs. I make sure to still get up every 30 minutes to walk around, and I do some stretches throughout the day to avoid stiffness and soreness. — Jennifer Greene, Nutcracker Market Communications Associate
If on a certain day I find myself more distracted or having a hard time concentrating, I allow myself time to mentally ‘breathe.’ Whether that means going for a walk, playing fetch with the pup or taking 20 minutes to stretch. I usually find that when I lean into those feelings, it is easier for me to hop back into my projects and churn out work with more creativity, inspiration and a clearer mind. — Alexandra Di Nunzio, Development Manager
Finding Silver Linings
I’d normally spend my mornings in traffic on my way to teach our programs at schools. I’m taking what would have been my commute time and using it to walk my dog, EM, instead. It helps start each day on a good note and gets me energized for the work day. — Lauren Anderson, ECE Program Manager
Working from home by myself is tough, but there’s a lot to like about just being at home by myself. I’ve been appreciating the little things I have here that I can’t have at the office. I enjoy playing my music out loud, for example, and pouring myself tea from my teapot. Tea is always part of my Houston Ballet workday, and it has been fun to have this version of it at home. — Bridget Jamison, Artistic Coordinator
The best part of working from home for me is actually having a complete breakfast, whether its breakfast tacos or a bagel. My favorite things to cook for breakfast are breakfast tacos, either eggs and bacon or eggs and chorizo. They’re super easy to make and filling enough to make it through lunch without feeling hungry. My mom always made us a great breakfast before school, so this brings back many childhood memories. I have tried to start my day at 8:00 AM to get breakfast done and then move to my “office” by 9:00 AM. — Yahudi Castañeda, Academy Artistic Operations Manager
Stay tuned for more motivation for your Mondays!
by Jacalyn Lawton