How Best to Work From Home

When you work from home, it’s natural to come up against some roadblocks. Many of us are used to working in a controlled, office-based environment – so it’s understandable to feel slightly off-kilter when merging your professional space with your personal space. That being said there are several habits, resources and general advice that can be of great help when remotely working.

Habits

Although some of the below points might seem mundane at first glance, they cannot be ignored. Getting into the right habits and practices ensures that you can secure a sense of stability and regularity when working from home, so remember to consider the following.

Separate your workspace from your personal space

It can be all too tempting to bring your laptop to bed and work from beneath your duvet, but this may not be the best course of action. Although you aren’t physically at work, you are still completing your day-to-day professional tasks – so give yourself a professional set up!

This needn’t be fancy; in fact, simply sitting at your kitchen table will help you have a more productive day. What’s more, striking this balance can have a positive effect on your mental health as it allows you to enjoy your downtime free from the stresses of work.

Scheduling breaks

A prominent danger when working from home is that it can feel odd to offer yourself a break – because you’re already in your personal space. However, it is important to do so.

If this is something that you particularly struggle with, then consider downloading an application such as ‘Take a Break’. This particular app prompts you to allocate small periods where you can exercise your body and your eyes, allowing you to recuperate before you continue with your tasks.

Remembering to clock-off

If you finish at a certain time when working within an office, then why would you not when working from home?

It can be tempting to work well into your evening, just to finish off that one task – but it’s important not to! If you don’t establish a clear finishing time then you can end up with an ill-weighted work-life balance which can quickly become unhealthy.

Resources

Working from home can at first seem like an isolating task, however, several resources are widely available to help lessen that feeling. And, what’s more, there are even tools that can support your productivity throughout the day!

Microsoft Teams (and other co-working apps)

Staying in touch with your team is a vital element of working from home. You need to be abreast of any updates, issues and general progress, as it happens, so having an easily-accessible communication avenue is essential.  Microsoft Teams could be the answer. This app allows you to conduct calls, video calls and simply send messages at all hours of the day, both with people within your organisation and outside of it, ensuring that business can continue as usual whilst you’re working remotely.

Monday’s Board

Staying on top of your tasks can be an issue whether at home or in the office, so having a platform where they are easily deciphered and have strict deadlines can be an excellent way of organising your time in terms of priority actions.

Google Drive

If you’re used to working in a collaborative style, then working from home might pose a tricky task. Although sending a document back and forth will allow you to collaborate with co-workers, Google Drive offers you a simpler service. Rather than saving countless versions of the same document, Google Drive houses a live document which you, or any invited parties, can edit simultaneously. This ensures that everyone is on the same page and reduces the risk of any confusion.

What’s more, having your documents stored on Google Drive may give you the added assurance that if something were to happen to your device, your documents would not be lost. Instead, you could simply use an alternative device to access them.

General Advice

Working from home can feel isolating. It may seem difficult to separate the personal from the professional as many of us are restricted to one space. However, it’s important to not be overwhelmed by this – as there are a number of things we can each do to structure a balance!

Take up a new hobby

Whether it’s an online course, a resolution to read more or an excuse to finally sort out the garden, make sure that you have something to enjoy and focus on outside of working hours.

Ensure you have some physical activity scheduled

Although the gyms are not available to us at present, some physical activities can be done in the comfort of our own homes – from Yoga to HIIT classes to Zumba routines. The internet has ensured that we have access to countless resources, so utilise them!

And if you feel as though you need to get out of the house, then go for a walk – just remember to abide by the social distancing guidelines.

Communicate with your family/housemates/friends

Even if you have nothing of interest to say, simply talking with others can improve your mood. Try sitting in a communal area in the evenings so that you don’t feel isolated.