There wasn’t all that much to love about the coronavirus pandemic, but there were some benefits. For example, companies become more comfortable with letting their employees work remotely.
There wasn’t all that much to love about the coronavirus pandemic, but there were some benefits. For example, companies have become more comfortable with letting their employees work remotely. Though they had no choice other than to let their staff work from home, the lack of impact it had on productivity meant that many companies were happy to let their teams continue working from home once the pandemic was over. Even if you’re back in the office now, the chances are that, if you look for a new job, there’ll be an option to work from your house.
While this is a very welcome perk, it’s not perfect. Working from home can bring its own set of challenges, so it’s important to take steps to ensure that you can work effectively. In this post, we’ll run through some tried and tested tips that help to maintain your mental health and your productivity.
Create a Commute
For many people, the primary advantage of working from home is that they no longer need to make the commute to and from work. However, it’s important to keep in mind that the commute does serve at least one useful purpose: it puts a clear division between your bed and your working hours. It just doesn’t feel the same to roll out of bed and begin work, even if you’re tempted to do so! A smart way to get around this sluggish feeling is to invent your own commute, which in practice will amount to taking an early morning walk. Even if it’s just for fifteen minutes, you’ll find that it helps to wake you up and get ready for the day.
Stick to a Routine
We might like to shake up our routines every now and again, but the truth is that they do help us. Having a go with the flow approach is good once in a while, but as a habit, it’s best to have a routine. Studies have consistently shown that this helps us to work more effectively. If you have some flexibility in your working schedule, it’ll be best to come up with your own routine and then make it a habit. It doesn’t really matter what it is, so long as it works for you.
Create an Excellent Office
Many people find themselves working at their kitchen dining table when they first begin working from home. Yet, while this may be fine for a few days, eventually, it’ll begin to impact your productivity. It’s just much more difficult to work well when we’re working in a place that we associate with other things (in the case of the dining table: eating dinner). If you’ll be working from home for the foreseeable future, then it’ll be best to create a dedicated workspace. This could be in a spare bedroom that you don’t need, or you could add a mansard loft conversion to your property and turn the new space into an office. It’s best to have high standards for your home office, so be ambitious and create a space you’ll enjoy working in.
Stay Connected
One of the advantages of working in the office is that you get to connect with your colleagues, every day. That can be annoying after a while, but by and large, it’s a positive thing. In fact, the connection with colleagues is one of the primary reasons why some people prefer to return to the office, even when they’re allowed to work from home. If you’re planning to work from home, then be sure to make an extra effort to stay connected with your work colleagues. This could take the shape of a group Slack channel or daily video meetings, whatever works for you!
Take Breaks
Employees tend to naturally take breaks when they’re working in the office because someone or something will distract them. When you’re at home, it’ll be less likely that someone walks over to you for a conversation. And that can mean that, even though we’re by ourselves, we end up taking fewer breaks than if we were in the office. However, your productivity will suffer without those breaks. Make a habit of getting away from the screen from time to time, and ideally, get out of the house to stretch your legs and get some sunlight.
It’s not always easy working from home, and it might take some time before you figure out the working method and environment that works best for you, but the tips above should help you.