{"id":151358,"date":"2020-03-27T06:00:09","date_gmt":"2020-03-27T11:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ict-pulse.com\/?p=151358"},"modified":"2020-03-26T19:02:11","modified_gmt":"2020-03-27T00:02:11","slug":"5-to-do-items-tackle-downtime-working-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/2020\/03\/5-to-do-items-tackle-downtime-working-home\/","title":{"rendered":"5 to-do items to tackle in your downtime when working from home"},"content":{"rendered":"

Have some time on your hands since you are now working from home? Were there professional development activities you have wanted to do, but could never find the time? We outline five, and share some tips.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Unless you live a stone\u2019s throw from your workplace, commuting to work \u2013 whether walking, driving, or taking the train \u2013 can be time consuming. As more of us are now working from home, we might easily be saving a good two and four hours daily in just trying to get to and from work.<\/p>\n

Further, the nonstop meetings and interruptions that might disrupt your flow may not be as frequent, and so allow you to focus more fully on the tasks at hand and become even more productive. Although the temptation might be to watch TV, surf the Internet or browse social media more than you already do, that \u2018free time\u2019 could be better spent attending to things that might be on your \u2018to-do list\u2019, but never had the time to address.<\/p>\n

Most of the activities suggested below are geared towards your professional development: things you know would help to better position you and\/or your business, but you just had not gotten around to doing. With perhaps a bit more time on your hands, make a plan, and let\u2019s get them done!<\/p>\n

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1. \u00a0Take some short courses<\/h3>\n

Continued professional development has become even more important as job markets become more competitive, and employers aim to select candidates that are likely to give them the best bang for their buck. Upskilling, which could include learning new skills, securing certifications, or even re-certifying, have become crucial when negotiating a salary increase, or to make you more marketable within your current organisation, or with new prospects.<\/p>\n

There are dozens of online course academies, with many offering free courses, or require payment of a nominal fee. Further, highly recognised and prestigious universities, such as ivy league institutions in the United States, are now also catering to a global and online audience. In other words, there is a lot of choice \u2013 in terms of the topic or subjects available, the types of programme, the duration, and even the institution that would be delivering the course.<\/p>\n

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2.\u00a0 Set up or update your website<\/h3>\n

Having an online presence, such as a website, can be an excellent way to market yourself, and\/or your business. For many of us, we see a website as a static platform \u2013 where we do very little after it has been made live. However, like many areas in the tech space, things are continually changing and evolving. Styles that might have been acceptable five years ago, now seem archaic, which is also a reflection of you and\/or business.<\/p>\n

Invariably, now would be an excellent time to refresh the site. A few questions you could ask yourself in order to get the ball rolling include:<\/p>\n