With the uncertainty we are currently living in, many of us are faced with the fact that our home is now also our office. Whilst the majority of us would have loved the opportunity to work from home full time prior to the coronavirus pandemic, we now realise how much of a challenge it can really be.
At the moment many of us are finding our feet with the do’s and don'ts when it comes to working from home. Over time this will be something you soon tailor to work for you and your home.
To help you out, we asked our team for their top tips and tricks to make working from home that little bit easier.
1. Ensuring you have a separate workspace in your home is key to having a productive day at work.
2. If possible, keep your work set up out of the room you sleep in. This will allow you to close the door on work at the end of the day, meaning you can switch off and unwind on a weekend and evening.
3. A good broadband connection is key! This is possibly something which we all may have been guilty of not thinking about before.
4. Regular breaks are essential. Trying to work straight through from the moment you wake up to dinner and from there to the end of your working day is not always possible or the best for your health. Give yourself time away from the screen, go for a walk, make a cup of tea or even stand in your back garden for 5 minutes. Taking a bit of ‘me time’ is imperative to a productive day.
5. Planning and preparation! Whether you work best from task lists on project management platforms online or you prefer putting that pen to paper with a handy to do list in the morning. Ensuring you’re ready for the day ahead in whatever way works for you will help you get your jobs completed quicker and more efficiently.
6. Music. This may not work for everyone but why not fill the silence of your new workspace with a productive playlist. Spotify may become your new best friend! Consider creating a playlist that helps you zone out or alternatively create one that your whole team can tap in and out of. This is also a great way to stay connected with your colleagues.
7. Give yourself some chill-out time come the weekend. If your usual glass of wine or treat tea on a Friday night is something that spurs you on through the working week, then make sure you keep that going. Bring date night to your dining room and film nights to your living room. Spending time with your loved ones can be made just as fun at home as it once was out and about. Use your imagination!
8. Give your workspace a bit of life. We all like to add a bit of our own touch to our desks and your new from home office should be no different. Think candles, cacti, inspirational pictures.
9. Communicate with your team. Although you may not all be sitting in an office together, that doesn’t mean communication has to stop. Video chats and phone calls are extremely important during these times. Whether it is to communicate work to your fellow colleagues or just to check in on your team members, communication is key.
10. Try and stay in a routine as much as possible. Try and wake up at a similar time, get ready for the day ahead, have your breakfast and start work as you would normally.
Hopefully, some of our top tips for working from home can be incorporated into your day to day life. Perhaps you’re already utilising these within your current set up! If you have any handy tips for working from home for the team at Calm Digital be sure to contact us via LinkedIn, let's get talking!