With so many people forced to work from home all of a sudden (due to the Coronavirus pandemic in case you’re reading this at a later date), it can take a while to get used to if you’ve always worked in an office environment.
Here are 5 tips that have helped me adjust to the work from home life, which I hope will help you too:
1. Morning Routine
It’s important to wake up at the same time you normally would and do the things you’d usually do to get your mind ready to “go to work”. You will obviously have some extra time on your hands, so use that to make yourself a nice breakfast, read, meditate, exercise, journal, do the chores – whatever takes your fancy.
Just make sure you set yourself a time limit otherwise you can get carried away!
2. Get Dressed
Yes, pyjamas are classed as a type of dress, but they don’t exactly portray “work mode” which is the aim here. Getting dressed for the day will get you in the right mindset for a good “work” day.
With all of the video calls going on too, you want to make sure you look as professional as you would if you were in the office/attending a client meeting, so it shouldn’t be any different just because you’re at home.
3. Dedicated Work Space
It can be tempting to work from the bed/sofa/kitchen table with your laptop, which is fine on some days, but not a productive habit to get into in the long run!
Ideally, you want to set up your work space in a spare room where you can shut the door. If you don’t have a spare room available, then consider using an area of the house you don’t usually use to chill out in. The main thing here is to try and separate your work and home life otherwise you will never switch off!
4. Take Breaks
It’s not productive, or good for your body to stay in one position for too long, so make sure you take regular breaks – yes that includes a lunch break!
Get up and go put the kettle on, take the laundry out of the washing machine, listen to some music, cook yourself a nice lunch, go for a walk.
Whatever you do, take some time out in your day to keep your mind as alert and efficient as possible.
5. Video
Being at home on your own can feel isolating if you’re used to being surrounded by colleagues and the office banter that comes with them! I usually listen to the radio/podcasts while I’m working to feel “connected” to the outside world, but I know this doesn’t work for everyone.
Make sure you check in with your team via a video conferencing tool. Seeing people face to face definitely helps build that sense of community and is the next best thing to being in a room together. You’ll also see each other’s facial expressions and reactions which is harder over the phone.
And there’s your lot! I hope you found these tips useful and do let me know if you’re implementing them on one of my social channels I would love to hear from you.
Wishing you a productive working from home life, whether that’s for the short or long term.
Anita x
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