6 Tips for Working From Home
PRODUCTIVITY: MARCH 31, 2020
At this point most of us are working from home, and staying focused isn’t always an easy thing to do. There are distractions everywhere, from family members calling, to the news, or simply put together: the unwillingness to work from home. It will take some discipline to be successful here, and to make it easy we got you 6 Tips for Working From Home.
Everyone who works remotely has to figure out when to work, where to work, and how to create boundaries between work and personal life. What about office equipment, career development, training opportunities, and building relationships with colleagues? Working remotely, especially when working from home most of the time, means figuring out these issues and others.
For those privileged enough to work from home at this time, I have one mental organization tip to offer about working from home after doing it for two years: When it’s time to work, put on real pants (or whatever bottom garment you would wear to go outside on a workday)
— Adam Serwer ? (@AdamSerwer) March 23, 2020
> Phone Calls and Video Calls
– Maintain the contact with your colleagues! Even if you have nothing to say, a quick video conference will foster greater engagement and team spirit.
– Use video calls rather than phone calls. Video calls help to maintain human connection visually through seeing others’ eyes and facial expressions.
– For God’s sake, go straight to the point when drafting communication. Think about keeping your emails short and concise, perhaps use bullet point, but realize that people can be overwhelmed with the amount of information they receive.
> Social Media
Social media communication and content can sometimes be a distraction, but it can also be an effective way of staying in real-time contact with your colleagues to combat the effects of social isolation.
Organize your workspace
– Having a dedicated workspace helps your environment to be “work like” and puts you in a work mindset. One issue with people working from home is that their space might be too comfortable and can prevent them from getting and staying in the right mindset to be “on” and productive.
– Besides, it will make you appear more professional in those video calls.
Get dressed
–You don’t need to dress as formally as you might for work, but the simple act of changing clothes serves as a signal that it’s time to wake up and get things done.
– and take a shower.
– When working remotely, it is important to follow your typical work schedule as much as possible, so that you can be available for your colleagues and clients. Sticking to your normal workday routine can also help to put and keep you in the work mindset.
– Start your workday off with a to-do list of what you want to accomplish, to hold yourself accountable.
– If you don’t need your phone for work, put it on silent. Only pick up your phone if you need it for a work related task.
Studies show that employees can be more productive when working from home because it allows for a flexible schedule, however attempting to multitask has been shown to be ineffective.
If you have difficulties focusing on your work, we recommend using the Pomodoro Technique, a time management method that allows you to be more productive by getting work done in small chunks with small breaks.
– 20 mins work on one task – no distractions (phone on silent, no checking emails or social media)
– 10 mins break
– 20 mins on a new task or the same task
– Repeat
In these trouble times, you don’t want to procrastinate. On a daily basis, in order to counteract the perception that you may be less productive while working from home, it may be helpful to send a brief end-of-day synopsis of what you have accomplished to your manager or team. (“Here’s what I got done, and here’s what I will get done tomorrow”)
When working from home, there are lots of distractions – your bed, family members, tv, pets, etc. It’s important to know when you are most productive or when you will have the least amount of distractions and schedule your project time or conference calls around those times.
Instead of trying to hide your personal circumstances, be real and authentic about your situation so your colleagues can understand and empathize.
Conclusion
It’s not that easy to work from home after all. Don’t forget to comment this post with your best tips for working from home! In the meantime, take care and don’t forget to wash your hands!
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