4 Tips to Make Working from Home Easier
With the Coronavirus/COVID-19 outbreak affecting offices, factories and institutions across the globe, many companies have turned to remote-working to try and alleviate disruption to the business. While working from home can be an effective solution, there are many pitfalls that employees must navigate to keep motivated and productive! Here, we list 4 ways you can make sure your 'work-from-home' (WFH) experience is as smooth as possible.
1. Create a Dedicated Workspace
Having a dedicated workspace means that you can work with a relative amount of peace & quiet away from the rest of the house. This means avoid working from the couch, in front of the TV or at the kitchen table. Ideally a desk with a good office chair is a great start. If this is already in place, ensure that you maintain good ergonomic practice, i.e. having your eyeline level with the top of the monitor, good posture and if required, a laptop riser and/or a footrest. Lighting is also important. If possible natural light, but if not, a desk lamp or adequate overhead lighting.
2. Maintain your regular routine
No matter what your regular morning routine is, you should maintain it while working from home. Get up, shower, get dressed and get that pot of coffee on. Putting on your normal work clothes helps to maintain that sense of routine. Dressing gowns are not an option! Get in front of your computer as soon as you can, the vast majority of us are more productive earlier in the day. This also includes taking your regularly scheduled breaks. Move away from your desk, rest your eyes, pop to the corner shop and get some fresh air if possible.
3. Write a to-do list
This might seem like an obvious one, but it's still very important. Not only does it make you accountable, but you can structure your jobs according to importance. Get those harder tasks done early while you're fresh. Leave easier, quicker and more fun items until the afternoon when concentration levels may not be as high! This includes things like making calls and answering the bulk of your e-mails.
4. Stay away from social media!
Again, it seems obvious, but social media can be a productivity-killer at the best of times. When working from home, a user can very quickly lose half an hour browsing Facebook or Twitter, which means a downturn in tasks completed. We recommend logging out of all your accounts on your desktop computer or laptop and where possible turn off notifications on your phone. Failing that, remove all temptation by leaving your phone in another room altogether until your scheduled break! This does not apply to music however. If having the local radio on in the background works for you, then great. Failing that, there are many useful 'concentration' playlists on Spotify which have easy-to-listen instrumental music, ideal when you need to focus on the task in hand.
4 Tips to Make Working from Home Easier
With the Coronavirus/COVID-19 outbreak affecting offices, factories and institutions across the globe, many companies have turned to remote-working to try and alleviate disruption to the business. While working from home can be an effective solution, there are many pitfalls that employees must navigate to keep motivated and productive! Here, we list 4 ways you can make sure your 'work-from-home' (WFH) experience is as smooth as possible.
1. Create a Dedicated Workspace
Having a dedicated workspace means that you can work with a relative amount of peace & quiet away from the rest of the house. This means avoid working from the couch, in front of the TV or at the kitchen table. Ideally a desk with a good office chair is a great start. If this is already in place, ensure that you maintain good ergonomic practice, i.e. having your eyeline level with the top of the monitor, good posture and if required, a laptop riser and/or a footrest. Lighting is also important. If possible natural light, but if not, a desk lamp or adequate overhead lighting.
2. Maintain your regular routine
No matter what your regular morning routine is, you should maintain it while working from home. Get up, shower, get dressed and get that pot of coffee on. Putting on your normal work clothes helps to maintain that sense of routine. Dressing gowns are not an option! Get in front of your computer as soon as you can, the vast majority of us are more productive earlier in the day. This also includes taking your regularly scheduled breaks. Move away from your desk, rest your eyes, pop to the corner shop and get some fresh air if possible.
3. Write a to-do list
This might seem like an obvious one, but it's still very important. Not only does it make you accountable, but you can structure your jobs according to importance. Get those harder tasks done early while you're fresh. Leave easier, quicker and more fun items until the afternoon when concentration levels may not be as high! This includes things like making calls and answering the bulk of your e-mails.
4. Stay away from social media!
Again, it seems obvious, but social media can be a productivity-killer at the best of times. When working from home, a user can very quickly lose half an hour browsing Facebook or Twitter, which means a downturn in tasks completed. We recommend logging out of all your accounts on your desktop computer or laptop and where possible turn off notifications on your phone. Failing that, remove all temptation by leaving your phone in another room altogether until your scheduled break! This does not apply to music however. If having the local radio on in the background works for you, then great. Failing that, there are many useful 'concentration' playlists on Spotify which have easy-to-listen instrumental music, ideal when you need to focus on the task in hand.
