Matthew 25:14-30 NIV “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey…” Read the full story.

Among the immediate and future changes that the pandemic brought, came the so-called teleworking, which is here to stay. For many men and women, it became a difficult situation to handle, for several reasons: at home, many do not have the right conditions, they may live in a place with little space. Also, if they have children of different ages, they may not totally understand the situation, or they are restless and naughty children who interrupt the work. Others do not have an adequate and efficient internet system.

In addition, the paradigms about work have been broken, therefore, we must change our mental scheme in order to be efficient and develop productive work.

In order to be efficient at our telework, we need to develop skills to accomplish this such as: personal organization, discipline to work alone, and even necessary motivation to work without a boss present. Therefore, we suggest learning to be productive, taking into account the following elements:

  1. Set a schedule. Our working hours in nearly every country are eight hours daily, with breaks for lunch and other things. If the company you work for allows, organize the intervals of work hours. It could be three hours in the morning, three in the afternoon, two at night. You must be disciplined in maintaining this schedule.
  2. Prioritize pending tasks. It is necessary to prioritize pending tasks. This will help you know the order in which to work. You should define what is urgent and what is important.
  3. Define with which tasks to start the day. I suggest that you begin with the more difficult tasks, then the easy ones. This will keep you motivated.
  4. Avoid interruptions. Teleworking is new for everyone; therefore, we should teach children, spouses, relatives, and friends that when we work it is our employers’ time and they should not interrupt.
  5. 5. Focus at work. One of the problems are the distractions of home. Stay focused on your task.

As a reminder, you go to the office having bathed and eaten breakfast. It should be the same for teleworking.

The cited passage says that the owner gave responsibilities and his resources, went far away, but then returned one day for accounting. That’s how it will be with teleworking. Companies will refine the ways they control your efficiency. I hope they congratulate you on your teleworking.

Covid-19 Response Committee, COTN Mesoamerica