Welcome to 2020, the year of working from home. For many of us, it’s a privilege to be able to work from home, however, the transition can often be challenging.
In a recent study, more than two-thirds of workers say they are more productive at home than in an office. Looking beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s likely working from home will be an integral part of our future so it’s important that we’re ready for it.
To get us through this transition period, we’ve collated some of the best tips to help you work well from home.
- Design your workspace: you need to be comfortable in your new workplace. Find somewhere with great lighting, add a candle and a plant and you’re already one step closer to setting up the perfect new workspace. Many plants can even help purify the air in your home office. Extra points if you can find a supportive chair and set your screen to the correct height, that’s what books are for, right?
- Get dressed: although we would love to stay in our pajamas, this can be counter-productive to your daily routine and may leave you feeling lethargic by midday. Getting dressed, applying your makeup or styling your hair can make a world of difference for your productivity and your wellbeing. Read more about the psychology of dressing here.
- Take breaks: It’s surprising how often we take breaks in the office, whether it’s talking to a co-worker, finishing a task or having a nice cup of tea. The importance of breaks has been well documented and when working from home, it’s easy to work through your regular breaks. Enjoy your lunch away from the desk and try not to put pressure on yourself to always be online.
- Let’s get physical: make a conscious effort to get out of the house, see some sunshine and stretch your legs. A walk, run, or home workout not only energises your body but also your mind. Studies
show that a walk may increase creative thinking, so what are you waiting for? Get out there!
- Schedule regular check-ins: working from home may be lonely and if you’re missing human interaction, there’s no doubt others are too. Why not schedule a 15 minute, daily or bi-daily, meeting to check in with your team and catch up on life outside work? The only requirement is that video must be switched on! Check out this article for more ways to look after your mental health while working from home.
- Set your work hours: waking up without a commute? Need to spend time with your children? Do you get distracted in the afternoon? Luckily when working from home, there’s more flexibility to set your own hours. Discuss it with your team and define your own working day, one that fits with your working from home responsibilities. Having a clear start and end time can help reduce procrastination and allows you to separate work and personal life.
- Start meetings with a bang: the goal of any meeting is to engage with your audience. We’ve found that starting a meeting with a quick activity may help to drive engagement and enthusiasm. For example, you could play guess who or a quick trivia game or ask everyone to show their favourite Spotify playlist, book or movie. Be creative! We know a touch of personalisation is important for achieving outcomes. Here are some creative ways agencies are keeping their employees engaged.
- Virtual drinks: “Friday drinks” is weaved into the culture of many workplaces and can be important for building connections with colleagues. Businesses are scheduling Friday virtual drinks to keep employees engaged while working from home. You can schedule a Friday meeting (with or without drinks) and reflect on the week, discuss upcoming opportunities or just catch up with your office buddies. Also, this doesn’t have to be restricted to a certain day, this could be a morning meeting and just BYO coffee/tea.
- Love dogs? Follow @dogsworkingfromhome for your daily dose of puppy love
Our offices may look a little different now, from moving your desk to the kitchen table, swapping suit pants to pyjama pants and face to face meetings to virtual meetings with the threat of kids/pets/partners/construction workers rushing in at any moment. Whilst the office landscape may have changed, the output of work shouldn’t.
Stay safe and keep working from your home like a boss! We’d love to hear your recommendations for working from home, let us know in the comments section.
