Posted by COURTNEY
With the world changing around us ever so quickly we have all had to adapt to new things. A big change for some is the transition from working in the office to at home. Some might be thinking ‘heck yes!’ while others are saying ‘how do I even work from home?’. For those of you with the last mindset, the following tips will help you stay on track, be productive and ease the transition of working remotely.
1. Dedicate a Space for your Office
The first thing to do is, dedicate a space for your office, and no, don’t make your couch your new office. You need a space that is quiet, has a good internet connection, and where you will have the ability to block out the most distractions. Like a spare bedroom or dining room table, a location that will help you feel like you aren’t just sitting at home.
2. Create a Morning Routine/Get Dressed
Some might think the perk of working from home is rolling out of bed and working in their PJ’s all day. Studies show that it is actually very important to get dressed, brush your teeth, eat breakfast and continue doing all the things you normally would before you went to work. Continuing those habits will help you stick to your routine when you eventually go back to work. Doing these morning tasks will also help wake you up and prepare you for your day with some motivation rather than still feeling lazy and tired. On the plus side, you will then also be ready to jump on any client or team video chat you might need to.
3. Maintain/Set Working Hours
Now that you have your dedicated office space all set up, the next step is to maintain your regular working hours or set new working hours if needed. It is important to set those hours so you know when to work and when to call it quits. With the computer right at home, it might be easy to just work all day long but you still need to have that work-life balance. So setting a schedule for yourself will help you determine when you should work and when to stop for the day.
4. Schedule Breaks
Being inside all day at the same location gets old and might make you go crazy. Knowing your company’s break policy is important and just because you aren’t at the normal office doesn’t mean you can’t still take those breaks. Breaks are important in a time like this, to get up, move around, go for a walk, make yourself a lunch, or another cup of coffee, you will then be recharged and refocused to get back to work.
5. Remove Distractions
Distractions can be all different things for different people. While at work it could have been a co-worker that loves to talk, while at home distractions can be the TV, your phone, pets, or even your bed for instance. At work, you might have been hesitant to pick up your phone with your boss right there but at home knowing no one is looking it makes it much easier to pick it up and forget what you are supposed to be doing. As mentioned before having a dedicated space for your office other than the living room couch should help with those distractions. If you don’t need your phone for work try putting it in another room away from you so you can focus on the task at hand.
Another big distraction while working at home might be the people you live with. Whether it be your significant other, kids, roommates, or siblings. It is important to have a conversation with those people, set boundaries, and let them know of your working hours and that it is very important that they don’t bother you during those times unless it is an emergency.
6. Communicate
Last but not least, and what I think is the most important tip while working at home is communication. Staying in touch with your co-workers, and clients are huge. Whether it is through email, phone call, video call, or an online chatting platform like Slack, being in contact with them is an important part of making sure everyone is still doing their part and getting things done. It lets people know you are still there and ready to answer any questions they may have.
I hope these few tips such as getting dressed, setting work hours, taking that break when needed and communicating with the team will help you on your new journey of working from home! If you have any additional tips that helped you feel free to comment down below. We would love to hear what else has helped others stay focused on work while at home.
Sources:
https://www.pcmag.com/news/get-organized-20-tips-for-working-from-home