Aug 25, 2021

Tips for Working from Home

Since 2020, more and more people have been working from home, and while for some this was a positive change of pace, others were less prepared for this sudden change. We get it, we’ve also been adjusting to working from home, and it’s been a mixed bag so far! While we enjoy the freedom to sleep in and the joys of avoiding the morning traffic, we also miss our colleagues and the fun office banter. The work from home culture is increasingly becoming the norm in many companies and we want to ensure that we give you the best tips for working from home, so that you can make the most of this new normal.

How to work from home effectively

First and foremost, and possibly the hardest thing to do is to develop a routine and sticking to the routine while you’re adjusting to working from home. It’s easy to fall into a rut where you might roll out of bed at 8:59am and start work at 9:00am because your laptop is now your office! But this could prove unhealthy in many ways, especially ways that could hinder your motivation and productivity.

Set your alarm for an hour or 30 minutes before you start work so that you can get a good breakfast or coffee into your system and change into something other than your sweatpants. You don’t need to wear a power suit as you might do for a regular day at work in the office but do wear something that makes you feel ready to face the day. Another way to avoid the pitfalls of working from home by wearing pajamas all day and barely moving is to get at least 20 minutes of exercise in on the daily. If you’re a little lazy like us, a great way to motivate yourself would be to start your day by wearing some workout clothes as a reminder that you can spend 20–30 minutes going for a walk or even doing a couple of stretches at home.

Create an ‘office space’ for yourself at home. Even if you’re sharing your home with other people, it is important to have a corner to yourself where you do nothing but your office work. This helps create a psychological barrier between your ‘home brain’ and your ‘work brain’, so get off the couch and set up that work corner at home.

It’s also easy to keep working without a break while you’re working from home, but this could lead to a burn out. Set specific times to take that much needed break and make sure that you stick to it religiously. To ensure that you follow through with your breaks, set alarms that go off after every 2 or 3 hours, and keep it far away from your work desk. This way, when the alarm goes off, you must stand up to walk over and turn it off.

Make sure that you communicate your work hours to your family or roommates so that you’re not disturbed during those hours. Set some ground rules with the people at home so that they know not to walk in on your while you’re in an important meeting or during a stressful day at work. Negotiate ‘quiet times’ with the children and make this a routine for yourself and the kids. And remember these three words – ‘Sound Cancelling Headphones’. Always useful for when there are children in the house!

How to be productive while working from home and work from home tips for success

You can set all the ground rules you want to, but how do you stay productive while working from home? More importantly, how do manage to stay successful while working from home?

The most important thing to do is to stay comfortable when you’re in a seated position for nearly 8 hours daily. Be smart like us and invest in a strong backed chair so you don’t start having back pains from slouching at your desk all day.

We know it can be tough without your office buddy nearby and you might even feel isolated when working from home. One of best tips we can give you to combat the feeling of isolation is to use your work messaging platforms and communicate, communicate, communicate! Humans are social beings, and it is important for you to find a buddy at work to bridge that socializing gap. You can plan a virtual social hour at work where everyone on the team hangs out to play a game or even just chat about anything other than work itself.

Make sure you drink plenty of water and take your lunch breaks like you would if you were at the office. And empty stomach can make you irritable and low on productivity, so make sure you stay healthy.

Know when to stop working! It’s easy to keep going when you’re at home and work late into the night. Have clearly defined times when you start and stop work and stick to this schedule. Treat your office space like you would if it were an actual office and don’t stay longer than needed or log in earlier than necessary.

Show up to meetings and be heard when you do. Talk to your team members and speak up if you need something. Remember that everyone works differently, so make sure that you communicate your needs to your team members. Your colleagues are not mind readers, and if you don’t ask, you will never get what you need.

Shut off your streaming platforms like Netflix or Crave as it can be very tempted to have a show on in the background while you finish work. This is not only distracting but can also lower your productivity and motivation levels. Unplug your TV during the day, so you have to take the extra step of plugging it back in before you sit down to watch a show.

Don’t start doing household tasks during your work hours. Remember that 9 to 5 is your office hours, and on a regular workday, would you do your laundry or vacuum while you’re at office? If the answer is no, then you need to schedule those tasks for after or before work.

Remember to hold yourself accountable for the work that you’ve been given to do and communicate regularly with your team to avoid feeling burned out or isolated.