Upskill for the Future During & Work Efficiently From Home During Covid-19

For an outsized proportion of people, our day-to-day working lives now look very different. Added to the current scenario is the requirement to assist your organization to adapt and still serve its customers. You may, for instance, are pulled onto a taskforce or you might even be supporting other teams with responsibilities that are, to be precise, outside your normal turf. All of this can be expected. It’s situations like these that we all ought to join together – remotely – to support our organization and every other in whatever way we are able to.
But even then during this period, many people have found themselves with spare time on their hands and are wondering how they will spend the time productively to upskill.

Self-learning and development should not take a pause

So, irrespective of whether you were asked to help with work outside your usual responsibilities or have the liberty to find time to fill, upskilling is sensible, as a technique which will assist you to boost your sense of purpose, well-being, and self-esteem; while upskilling to feature on your CV.
It should also be considered that when this crisis is over, it’ll be those people that has taken steps to upgrade their skills who will emerge on the other side in a better position.

Also Read: Recession in India, and How to Survive It.

How to upskill yourself while working from home.

Understandably, upskilling when working remotely or self-isolating must be done online. Luckily enough, there are many platforms for you to choose from.

Some of the options on how to upskill while self isolating:

1. Take up any training and development materials that your organization offers.
   
   Your employer may have always given you the chance to undergo certain kinds of training to upskill yourself, whether internally or through an institute, but you’ll not have had the time to take them up. Employees who regularly undertake training and development are usually higher-performing, more productive, more innovative, and more satisfied. They’re also likely to remain with a corporation for an extended period. Training therefore really may be a ‘win-win’ for both organization and employee, The benefits of which would last long beyond this lock-down.
   
   
2. Attend virtual conferences and webinars.
   
   Swapping attending physical seminars or events for the virtual sphere isn’t just a short-term means by which organizations, and their people can still communicate with one another and their customers. After all, even long before the COVID19 outbreak, corporate videoconferencing platforms like Zoom were gaining traction. Many others are now joining the fray, like Hopin. So, attending virtual events, conferences, and webinars could help you to regulate to the how of learning, networking, and collaborating that’s likely to become a ‘new normal’ well beyond COVID-19.
   
   
3. Take up reading books related to your field.
   
   Reading, or taking note of business books allows you to upskill from any location. Read articles or blogs written by leading professionals in your industry to stay updated on current and future trends.
   
   
4. Listening to podcasts.
   
   Not only can you find podcasts on almost every topic, but they’re also almost always free to listen.
   
   
5. Join an online course relevant to you.
   
   Eduzek, for instance, offers several online courses covering such areas as design, IT, etc, by top instructors. LinkedIn provides an identical service, with a one-month free trial. Certification course in Google Analytics is available from Google’s Analytics Academy for free. Intelligent data collection and analysis will become more and more important for business success, so now is an excellent time to seek out more about the search engine’s measurement tools. There is no shortage of options for sharpening your skills at little or no expense while self-isolating.
   
   
6. Make the routine of upskilling while in self-isolation.
   
   It’s important to determine a way of routine when you’re self-isolating. So, you must attempt to incorporate your own learning and development as a part of that routine. Attempt to allot half-hour each day to help you self-improve in any way.
   
   
7. Teach yourself how to use or master a new technology.
   
   
   In a much equivalent way, as creativity is required even in non-creative jobs, even those in non-technical roles still need some level of technical proficiency in today’s digital world. It’s likely that the current scenario has already forced you to come to terms with remote working tools and technology that you simply may have not or rarely used before. So why not use some time now to find out about the video conferencing, collaboration and, other platforms that you simply may not be very conversant in before? With tech moving at a brisk pace, it is often very easy to end up being left behind, and therefore it’s worth upskilling now which will be indispensable for months and years to come.
   
   
8. Increase productivity while working from home.
   
   There will be both good and bad things about working from home. You won’t be distracted by colleagues dropping by your desk to engage you in conversation. But on the opposite hand, they could appear with demands on Skype, and with nobody literally to watch over your shoulder, you’ll easily end up spending time browsing social media. Thankfully, some simple steps can greatly assist you in being more productively from home. Those include starting work early, structuring your day as if you’re within the office, having a specific workspace that’s independent of where you go to relax, and usually acting as if you’re within the office. Use this period to find out what works for you when it is about performing from home as productively as possible.