6 Tips To Work From Home
For many of us, the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed our lives. With more cities, states, and countries recommending isolation, companies have had to shift to a Work from Home (WFH) mentality, quickly setting up remote working options for their employees.
Working from home isn’t a new concept, and in fact, has been gaining traction in recent years as a productivity booster, Yet for many, this is a new reality to navigate, and that can be challenging. Even for those used to working remotely, this pandemic means greatly reduced access to the outside world.
So whether working from home is new or something we’ve been doing for years, we are all experiencing significant change in our daily lives. Here are a few tips to help adjust and navigate towards daily productivity.
- Designate A Work Space
Office spaces are typically built to maximize productivity by eliminating distractions, where our homes are typically designed for other purposes. It also gives us a distinct change between our working lives and our home lives. However, working from home means definite overlap between the two. This means creating a specific area helps keep us in work mode, not home mode. For example, working in bed or on the couch may be tempting, but as these areas have other uses already, they will inevitably create distractions.
If it’s available, use a spare room, or when space is an issue, work in the same designated spot every day. Set up a proper work table and clean the area so it’s filled with items associated solely with work as much as possible. Make sure to find a comfortable chair that is conducive to working all day. Set up work gadgets and play music to drown out distractions from the home side. Whenever possible, use this space for work and when we work, use only this space.
Designating a specific area and making sure to work in that area all the time helps create a productive and distraction-free mindset.
- Dress For The Job
It might be tempting to work in our PJ’s since no one is going to see us. However, this is one of the biggest mistakes when working from home.
Getting dressed for work in the morning helps us get our mind in the work zone. It’s a habit we’ve been cultivating for years and boosts our brain into feeling prepared and professional. Changing out of sleep clothes, taking a shower, and putting on acceptable clothes all signals our brain that we’re heading to work and sets the tone for the entire day.
Working in our sleep pajamas, on the other hand, signals a continuation of being in “home” or “rest” mode. When in this mindset, we may find ourselves getting distracted frequently and easily, lacking focus and direction, which equals reduced productivity.
Clothing also impacts our mood. Working from home can be a lonely job. The feeling of not being seen can really darken our mood and deepen feelings of loneliness. Dressing for work can help maintain a sense of consistency and go a long way to ensure we feel necessary and valuable.
- Work For A Set Time
Working from home offers a lot more flexibility with how and when we work. But since we no longer have clear start and stop times to distinguish between our home and work life, it may feel like we have a ton of time on our hands. This can, unfortunately, lead to both overworking and working less at the same time.
A thousand responsibilities and distractions might present itself during the course of the day, all of which can pull us away from work. At the same time, the feeling of having extra time can make us over-commit and take on more work than we can complete. The combination ends up being disastrous to our productivity after a while.
We can navigate this problem by stipulating a fixed working period and sticking to it every day. Start working at the same time every morning. Take breaks throughout the day on the same schedule we would while in the office. And most importantly, quit working at the same time every evening. Make it a priority to focus on work while working and at home when we’re not. When there are others in the home, come up with ways to signal when we’re working, creating a do-not-disturb environment, even when we’re sitting at the kitchen table. Being disciplined regarding work allows us to focus, ensuring we are productive and not overwhelmed.
- Create A To-Do List
To-do lists and planners have always been important. But they become indispensable when working from home. Without the help of an office environment, along with co-workers and supervisors, we lose these outside resources that we may reply on to keep us on track. When we’re at home, we may not realize how much time has passed, and projects may take more time when we have to send them to multiple project partners instead of doing the work in a single conference room.
Creating a to-do list for the day helps on multiple fronts. It helps us organize the day into manageable chunks. After a few days, we’ll know the pace we’re completing these tasks at, and can adjust our lists accordingly. It takes the place of our morning commute, creating a valuable signal to the brain that we’re starting our work day. Additionally, it helps us stay focused and prioritized throughout the day. We can also use tools online, making our tasks accessible to our teams, allowing everyone to manage workloads appropriately and ensure we stay productive throughout the day.
- Master Effective Communication
One of the downsides of working from home is being isolated from our teams. In an office environment, we have the ease of walking to someone’s office or cubicle to ask questions or clarify emails. We have meetings where we can work face-to-face, and that allows us to not only pick on visual and auditory cues, but disarm miscommunications faster and more effectively.
We often don’t notice how much meaning is conveyed through body language, facial expressions, firmness of a handshake, and other similar nonverbal signals. It’s easy to misjudge tones of voice in conversations when communicating through emails and texts. Many of us are better at expressing ourselves verbally rather than textually. And the more opportunities there are for miscommunication increases the risk for unnecessary tension in our work life.
Make it a point to ask questions whenever something is not clear and let everyone on the team know they can ask questions in return. Encourage an open-air of communication by always assuming the best intent when confusion arises. Be aware of our own communication styles, erroring on the side of polite and formal to ensure to avoid communication mishaps… And use video chat whenever possible.
- Get Physical Exercise
Working from home may also mean a significant reduction in daily physical activities. We may not realize how much we walk, whether from subway stops to the office, or even through the parking lot. But things, like walking between offices and engaging in after-hours socialization probably, include more movement than we think.
It’s important to make sure we compensate for this loss through regular exercise. Use a rooftop, a balcony, or backyard for some aerobic exercise. Take a walk around the block or visit a local park when there are fewer people around. Download a favorite exercise routine or stream a yoga session in your bedroom. Getting regular exercise will help reduce stress as well as boosting your immunity.
Conclusion
Working from home can be challenging and take time getting used to, especially if we’ve never done it before. Yet, like with any change, we adjust to the new rhythm and make it just as productive, if not more, than our usual office routine.
