The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic has meant that thousands and thousands of people are suddenly working from home when they may have never done it before, or may have only ever done it once a week before. If you’re new to working from home, how can you do so and make sure that you’re working efficiently, but also that you’re working, staying positive, and keeping your spirits up? Here are some ideas to help.
Get dressed
It can be really appealing to not have the commute and normal demands of a regular working day on your hands. Staying in your pyjamas all day can sound like it would be a fun aspect of working from home. But getting up and getting dressed will help to improve your state of mind, but also prepare you mentally for being ‘at work,’ so it can help massively with your productivity. You won’t need to wear a formal suit or anything like that, unless you’re having video calls with clients, but getting up and dressed for work each day can make a difference to how you feel.
Establish boundaries
There will be a standard time that you’ll need to work when you’re at home, especially if your employer is quite a traditional nine-to-five kind of job. But of course, there will be a degree of flexibility when you’re at home, especially if you have children or family members to look after. It can be quite easy to work more hours than you ever normally would when you’re at home, because you can log on your computer at any time. So set yourself some boundaries as to how many hours you’ll work and when, so that you don’t become consumed by work. Decide that when you log off at a certain time, that will be it until a certain time the next morning. The same applies for going to bed and getting up; establish some boundaries with yourself, and it will make a big difference.
Get comfortable
We could be working from home for a number of weeks to come, so you need to make sure that you’re comfy. You might already have a dedicated office space to work from. You might just use the dining room table. Whatever your set up, make sure that you are comfortable so that you can be as productive as you can, and not injure yourself in the process. You could order yourself something like a mesh office chair to keep you comfortable, and even a new desk if the need arises. When you’re comfortable and have a proper desk set up, then it will help your motivation and productivity.
Get out and about
If you’re not self-isolating, then getting out and about for a walk or some exercise is so important. Take regular breaks anyway throughout your working day, but give yourself some time over lunch perhaps, to go out for a walk or a run. Fresh air and a different perspective can help to undo any mental blocks and give you a fresh pair of eyes on certain tasks.
