7 essential working from home tips

1. Create a schedule

Firstly, most working from home tips will include this point: Create a schedule.

Importantly, creating a schedule, helps you maintain strict timings to your day. While setting clear working hours ensures boosted productivity levels and allows you to make the most of the hours you have.

Often, when we work from home it tends to create blurred lines when it comes to the beginning or end of the workday. In fact, a schedule helps maintain boundaries within the day, ensuring that all activities have set times, working hours and time with your family and friends, keeping you healthy and happy.

• Get dressed

On the one hand, working from home can create a sense of complacency. On the other hand, it’s easy to get stuck in a rut and let yourself go, finding yourself working from your bed and eating breakfast at lunchtime. In fact, by starting the day , structuring it as you would a normal work day and getting ready and dressed in the morning, and checking in at your desk, you give yourself a sense of purpose.

Not to mention a routine and a tone of your day. While you are at it, dress for success for that Zoom meeting. 

• Maintain boundaries

Consequently, creating boundaries in space is important. Especially at home if you have a shared living space. Importantly, communicating with your family or partner to let them know what your day look likes for the days is important. While sometimes unavoidable, video teleconferencing and work calls can become awkward with random interruptions and background noise. A good set of headphones and a locked door when necessary can help the situation. 

• Create comfort

Just as a comfortable space is paramount to an environment that allows increased productivity. Especially this is important if you’re working from home. Cultivate a space of comfort for yourself, whether you enjoy houseplants, lush pillows and throws or serene background music. You can consider investing in some comfortable office furniture; a modern space saving desk or deluxe office chair to give you a premium effect. 

• Create and maintain rituals

In addition, creating work rituals around specific times of the day is a great way to maintain momentum. Same as an office day, morning rituals like organising your desk, writing a to do list or afternoon tea breaks are great examples. While I was a part of a large percentage of individuals that were working from home for more than half of the time. A pre-COVID 19 report summarises that regular breaks in the workday increase productivity and boost moods. Most importantly, finding little wins in the middle of the day can help you look forward to living out the day despite the change in lifestyle.  

• Maintain some social activity

Of course, during this pandemic, the most important and crucial is maintaining a close social system that supports you. Whether it is the family you live with or friends and relatives over video call. Isolation is difficult. In contrast, through technology we can maintain relationships and find new ways to connect and find support.

For instance, schedule regular teleconferences with your co-workers for meetings or a quick coffee break with friends over video chat. Thus, creating regular contact with friends and reconnect in the day to prevent any feelings of loneliness. Thus creating an instant boost in your workday. 

• Self-care

Finally, remembering to look after yourself is important. While it is easy to forget to take care of yourself while taking care of everyone else and the world struggles through a pandemic. As a result, increased levels of stress and anxiety have become a norm since many countries around the world have gone in and out of lockdowns. In a word, self-care and self care habits should also form a part of the new normal. In order to help bring you little bits of peace and joy. For instance, it can be a luxury bubble bath at the end of week or that cup of morning coffee with your favourite song while looking out the window or enjoying a walk.