A huge portion of the world are working from home right now and a large proportion of those people have never done so before. This can bring some challenges to overcome, which even effect the seasoned home worker!
It can be easy to slip into some bad habits when working from home, as your daily routine will have changed massively. Without the daily commute into the office, do you hit the snooze button a few too many times? Or do you forgo the tidy office outfit and reach for the sweats? How can you stay productive when surrounded by your home comforts?
These are common issues when speaking to people who often work from their home. But there are ways to deal with these challenges and actually make working from your home more productive than you realised. Some entrepreneurs even prefer it to working in a busy office!
Here we share some of our favourite tips to help you work well from home:
- Have a daily routine and stick with it. All you need to do is find your rhythm and go with it. As tempting as it is to put off work until later in the day, or not have a routine as you did in the office – you will find that actually keeping to a daily routine is the key to success at home. Persevere and find what works for you.
- Get dressed! Now you don’t have to put on your usual office attire – especially if that is a more formal suit for example. But working from home isn’t an excuse to just stay in sweats or worse – in your pjs! Be comfy but well put together – if will subconsciously make you more motivated and feel good in the day. Whether that is jeans and a t shirt or something more glam, make an effort to get ready for the day as you would for the office. Trust us, it makes a difference!
- Keep your working area tidy. Now you may not have a separate office space – but we recommend finding a nook in your home you can try to dedicate to work. Even if that is the kitchen table, keep it tidy and clean. If you do work from a place that has 2 or more uses, then we recommend a tray or something portable to keep your work stuff in – that way at the end of the day you can pack it up and it remains tidy and in one place. If you do have an office or other room, keep it clean, organised and relevant to work – it will help focus your mind.
- 4. Take regular breaks. It can be easy when working from home to lose track of time and the day merges together. Without the formality of an office to let you know it is lunchtime, it can be easy to forget or just keep going. We recommend taking breaks, get outside for some fresh air and recharge your mind.
- 5. Embrace technology. With great tools such as Zoom and Skype it is so easy to keep in touch with your colleagues. Make the most of it and stay connected with your team! It can be really motivating to catch up with your work friends and ensure you all stay on top of work. Especially in the current situation, seeing your colleagues face to face will definitely brighten up the work day!