Working from home isn’t always easy, but we’re here to help.
Thousands of workers across the globe have been asked to work from home as a result of the spread of the Coronavirus. And for the first few days, you may feel fantastic, but I promise you, the novelty wears off after a while. Studies have found that working from home can actually make people concentrate better, and be more productive in general. However, it can be tricky to get into the swing of things. Boredom and cabin fever sets in, and you may find that your concentration levels drop significantly.
We’re here to help, with some handy tips that may just make working from home easier.
Get up and get dressed
Let me tell you, having worked from home quite a bit, you will be very tempted to simply pull the laptop up onto your lap, and stay in bed for the day. I can’t stress enough how bad this is for the mind. I strongly suggest setting your alarm for the usual time you wake up, getting up and going through your normal morning routine. Get yourself dressed (don’t stay in your pyjamas all day – you’ll want to!), have your breakfast, and then get to work.
Identify a designated workspace
On a normal day in the office, you probably have a desk or designated work space. While you work from home, try to maintain the same in some way. Set yourself up at the kitchen table, a desk in your room, or anywhere that you can happily work for the day from, with minimum disturbance.
Structure your day
When you work from home, it can be hard to pull yourself away from the computer. It sounds mad, but you genuinely will find the day run away, without taking any sort of breaks. Structure will be the key to a successful ‘working from home’ strategy. Make an effort to have your usual coffee breaks, your lunch break and any other occurrences that usually happen when you’re in the office.
Get some fresh air
When you are working from home, obviously you won’t have to deal with the commute in and out of the office. Yes, this is great in many ways – however, consider the lack of fresh air you’ll get if you don’t leave your house at all during your 8 hour working day. Try and get outside for a quick stroll before you start your day, even just for 20 minutes. Likewise, when you wrap up your day of working from home, get outside for a bit of air. It’ll do you the world of good.
Maintain communication
When you work from home, maintaining communication with your colleagues can be tricky. However, in order for everything to continue to run smoothly, you will need to make an extra effort to be in touch with the members of your team throughout the day. Regular contact will also make you feel less isolated, which will be better for your mental health.
Oh and while we have you, if you aren’t working from home just yet, be sure to check out some Jobbio approved tips on workplace hygiene.
