Five Tips from People on How to Work From Home
You can work remotely from your home. Until the cat takes over. Then, your neighbor, whom you're able to only imagine is working on a time machine, fires up all manner of powerful tools and noisy machinery from the other.
COVID-19 has led remote work to become a necessity instead of an option for professionals. What environment makes us more efficient? The workplace or at home?
Your coworkers can often be the most significant challenge to your productivity at the workplace. They drop by your desk, join with conversation and invite you for lunch, or so I hear. Although the benefits for social interaction are great, being distracted can make it difficult to take advantage of these benefits.
However, family members can sometimes be distracting at home. I find it easy to turn into your worst adversary. You can get rid of those annoying fears if you don't have coworkers. No one is watching in your home office. There's no peer pressure and obligation to accomplish your tasks. There's no requirement to wear shorts.
1. Set expectations for everyone who will be coming home with you.
While you may be working from home however, it's still possible to be surrounded by others. Be sure that your roommates, family members and even dogs (well perhaps not actually dogs) respect your space when you're working. Even if you work from home doesn't mean you're home.
If you share space with another adult working from home, you may have to lay ground rules about meeting times, shared desks and chairs, as well as silence times.
2. Take clear breaks.
Being a telecommuter is a great way to become distracted. This can cause you to not take breaks. Don't let the guilt of having to work in the same building you sleep in hinder you from taking five minutes to unwind.
Instead of merely browsing YouTube and watching comfort videos Take breaks from your computer. You can take a walk or enjoy the fresh air with others in your house.
Ginny's advice is a good one. "Breaks such as cooking or eating lunch can give you the energy to do more work. Don't assume you need to be working 100% of the time while you're home to be more productive."
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3. Interact with other humans.
The office you work in will probably start working from home and you will miss the informal social interactions that you shared with your colleagues throughout the day. When working from home, you don't get to engage in the conversation and other activities that make every day at work distinctive.
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What options do you have? Communicate.
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You can combat boredom and loneliness with regular communication with your colleagues. Use Zoom and Slack to communicate with your employees through video chat.
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Be aware that you're working at home, not at the moon. Engaging with others during the day is allowed regardless of whether they're your colleagues. Even if you spend most of your time in solitude, it's an excellent idea to meet someone else during the day. Take advantage of breaks to connect with other people.
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4. Make dinners the night before.
If you live in your own home, it's tempting to spend time making breakfast and lunch. Don't use precious minutes cooking your meals during the day of work -prepare it in the evening prior to.
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If you prepare food in advance, you will be able to make use of your meal time and not spend your time on tasks that do not need your focus.
Lindsay Kolowich is a digital marketing strategist. She says, "Cooking at Home takes time that you wouldn't spend cooking a meal if you working at a desk. And I find the minutes can add to the end." To cut down on time, I cook and cook my meals on the night prior to. It's similar to what I do at work.
5. Pick a definitive finishing time.
You might be thinking that working from home establishes an ideal life balance for you, but be careful when you make that assumption.
Working remotely can be like working at the casino. It is easy to get immersed in your work, in a relaxed atmosphere, that it is hard to track the time.
Tyler Littwin states that working remotely full-time can result in the loss of time for personal activities.
