6 Tips to Help You Out Whilst Working From Home.
Yep, so we’re doing this! Working from home can be a bit daunting at first glance. Is it going to be possible? Will you be a couch potato? With a couple of these tips you’ll be on the way to working from home like a pro. I’ve been working predominantly from home for the past 2 years, and I’ve come up with a few tips to help get you set up and on your way!
Set up a work zone.
Create a zone within your space that’s just for work. Setting up a work environment at home sets your mind at ease knowing that there’s somewhere for you to work, and somewhere for you to relax. Depending on how you work, and what the work involves, will depend on what you need. Think about what you have at work and see what you can bring into your home and fits within your space.
Plan out your day
Get in contact with your team and set your goals and expectations. Write it out and then navigate what is most essential to complete within the day and what things you can push back if the more important projects take longer than you expected.
Schedule your time
Set aside little goals and timers for yourself. It’s good once you establish your plan, to set aside an amount of time to complete each task. So across your 8 hour day, how long will it take to complete task A? 3 hrs? Set a timer. Once the timer goes off, move onto the next task.If you are worried about it, contact your team/manager and give them an update. Which leads onto my next point.
Communication is key
Communication plays such a vital role when working from home. Be sure to send out a morning email, like you most likely would at work. Run over what you have planned and ask if theres anything needs to be added to the schedule. I like to go over the weekly goals and then a daily schedule just to be sure everyone’s on the same page. Then you’ll most likely receive emails throughout the day in which you can navigate what can be added to the current workload and what can be put aside to tomorrow.
Create some routine
Once you get a good flow going, establish a routine. So in the morning, you wake up, do a quick workout, shower, and get dressed. Head over the computer and send out your morning email. Make a coffee and Start on your first task. Await a response email, or mid morning meeting, and go from there. Break for lunch, and carry on. Send an email towards the end of the day, updating the team where you’re at and leave room for some final adjustments.
Out of sight out of mind.
Leave the phones, Tv and other distractions behind. Get some noise cancelling headphones and play some cafe white noise to help drown out any random sounds that happen over the day. This way you won’t get distracted with the task at hand.
Extra tips;
Put on an outfit - Be comfortable, but don’t work in your PJ’s. Otherwise it’ll feel like you’re chilling at home.
Have a space set up for FaceTime and conference calls - A nice clean wall with good window light.
Try not to work past your designated time. Don’t run past dinner.
Best of luck with working from home! I hope these tips help you out during these times
Keep safe, and stay healthy!