Working from home comes with its own distractions, especially when other people in the household or even pets are nearby. You may struggle to be productive when unsupervised. Working from home can also create a “always on” mindset, which can cause people to work longer than their regular hours or too hard.
It is not uncommon for our clients to feel a sense of “unreality” as they work from home in this unusual setting.
HERE ARE SOME WORK FROM HOME TIPS:
1. GET DRESSED
For many people the idea of staying in their pyjamas all day is an alluring aspect of working from home. But washing up and getting dressed will improve your state of mind, it psychologically prepares you to start your work day. Whether you personally need to change into business attire depends on the type of person you are, but you have the option to change into some comfortable lounge wear which are not your pyjamas to feel ready for the day.
Some people do find that dressing semi formal is helpful and is useful when you have video calls. But the point of getting dressed is forcing yourself to change out of the clothes that you associate with sleep and rest even if it means changing into jeans and a jumper. Changing into respectable attire can also increase the motivation to leave the house similar to when you reach home from a work day and change out of those clothes helps your brain understand that the working day is over.
2. START ON YOUR DAY EARLY
When working in an office, your morning commute can help you wake up and feel ready to work by the time you get to your desk. At home, however, the transition from your pillow to your computer can be much more jarring.
One way to work productively is to dive into your to-do list as soon as you wake up. Simply getting onto a project start first thing in the morning can be the key to making progress on it gradually throughout the day. Or you might end up prolonging breakfast and let the morning sluggish feeling wear away at your motivation which intron disrupts your work flow for the rest of the day.
3. STRUCTURE YOUR DAY
When you work from home you become your own personal manager. Without the in-person meetings schedules to break up your day you can be quick to lose focus or burn out. To stay on schedule and productive while working from home consider segmenting what you will do and when over the duration of the day. If you have a online calendar, create personal events or reminders that tell you when to shift gears and start on new tasks so you can ensure you work efficiently and productively.
4. DEDICATED WORK SPACE
Just because you are working from home and not in the office does not mean that you cannot have an office space. Rather than cooping yourself in your bedroom or your sofa living space. Try to find a space in the home that you can dedicate to working from home ideally a space that is not associated with leisure or sleep as this can disrupt your work flow.
The ideal home office environment is a private room, away from the bedroom. However, for some the reality is that you may have to take over the guest room if you have one available or even a corner of the kitchen. Try to have a dedicated work space, although working on the kitchen table is acceptable, but can be hard to keep documents and papers organised try organising a desk in a room with storage for documents and stationery.
5. PLAN TASKS AHEAD OF TIME
Having a plan or tasks to be completed is an ideal way to get started in the morning – instead of waking up and spending time on what you’ll do today can take away from actually doing those things. But it is important for you to let your agenda change as and when you need it to, but it is equally important to commit to an agenda that outlines your daily tasks and deadlines. Try to organise your daily schedule the day before at the end of the day for the next working day so that you can feel more organised and ready to go and get started.
6. STAY CONNECTED
Working from home can help you focus on your work for the short term, but it can also make you feel cut off from the larger operation happening in the office. This cannot be helped Instant messaging and video conferencing tool can make it easy to check in with co-workers and management and you how you work is contributing to the bigger picture.
7. COMMUNICATE EXPECTATIONS WITH ANYONE WHO WILL BE HOME
Of course, for many of us working from home means we will have company in the home. Its important to communicate your needs and respect the space you have provided for your work areas to any of your roommates, siblings, parents, spouses and children. Respecting your space during working hours and keeping the noise to a minimum and having a mutual understanding and respect for anyone working from home is crucial as these limits interruptions and provides a routine suitable for all in the home. Communication and location of home office is important here and should be considered when choosing a space to work.