Top Tips for Working From Home

To prevent the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19), many employees around the world are now working from home, self-isolating students are studying remotely and business premises are closing. Although working from home sounds great in theory, it can be difficult to adjust to working in an environment other than the office if you’re not used to it. We’ve come up with our top tips for working from home to make the transition easier.

Get Out of Your Pyjamas

For a productive start to the day, get ready and get changed! As tempting as it may be to roll out of bed, stay in your pyjamas and head straight to the sofa with your laptop, sluggishness can wear away your motivation. Creating a mental association between your work and an office can help you to be more productive. Make your bed to take away the temptation of getting back into it, and lay your PJ’s out knowing that you can get back into them after your hard work – something to look forward to!

Get into a Routine

Without a structured day, it is much easier to lose focus. One of the best ways to maintain your focus is to break everything up into manageable tasks and goals. Set yourself specific goals for the day and schedule them into your calendar and give yourself small rewards every time you complete a goal. You are more likely to complete a task when there is positive result in sight. Goals are also important to keep you on track, as well as validating your progress. 

Create Your Own Workspace 

 It is better for there to be a divide between the space in your home that you associate with leisure time and work. Keep your bedroom and your living room as places where you can completely zone out from work and enjoy them more at the end of a busy day. Set yourself up a separate workspace to get into the right frame of mind. Create a space where you can sit upright at a desk and maybe even get creative with your workspace. You could put up motivational quotes and pictures, create a vision board, add fairy lights and light a couple of candles – anything that makes the space a positive place for you to come to work. 

Set boundaries with friends and family

If you live alone, then luckily this won’t be an issue. Having other people around the house, particularly kids, can make remote working more difficult. They may not understand that although you are physically present at home, you are busy with work. It is best to set boundaries from the beginning and to do this you need to understand your work requirements from home first and then communicate them with your family and friends. Make yourself available according to your work schedule! 

Take a break

It’s important to take a break away from your computer to unwind. Just because you’re at home, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll be more relaxed.

Schedule regular daily breaks to make a cup of coffee and make sure you spend your lunch away from your desk. Eating in front of your computer will leave you feeling drained at the end of the day so try to avoid doing this.

Communication

Working from home can make you feel isolated from your colleagues. It’s important to keep in touch with your co-workers. Set up a daily video or conference call with your team so that everyone knows what you’re working on.

Use remote working tools such as Slack to ask your colleagues questions and to provide support to others. This will help you feel like you’re still in the office with a clear channel of communication.

Stay Active

It’s important to stay active and give your mind a break from work. If you’re used to going to the gym on your lunch break, you may struggle with not being able to get out of the house to blow off steam, however, there’s plenty of other options to keep you fit and healthy when working from home.

Try exercising in the house during your lunch or going out for a run or walk once a day, although keep at least 2 metres from others. This will help clear your head and allow you to focus more on your work when you return to your workspace.