WORK FROM HOME TIPS AND MYTHS BUSTED

Photo by Christiann Koepke on Unsplash

Recently life has gotten really strange, words like epidemic and pandemic and quarantine have become the most popular words in the media. I urge everyone reading this to stay home and stay safe in this period. We understand that this is not easy, but I promise you that everything will be ok, we just have to have patience with each other and most importantly with ourselves.

Let’s get into the meat and potatoes of the work from home wave. All of a sudden everyone is creating and sharing tips on how to effectively and efficiently work from home, completely ignoring the fact that there was already a work from home community that had gone unnoticed for the past few years while work from home was still taboo. Here are the top 4 tips I have received from real “work from homers” who have been at this longer than the virus scare period.

1. Get up and get dressed

   In order to get into the correct frame of mind, it is important to play the “I’m getting ready for work role” as mimicking your usual work routine may help you to mentally get ready to work. Some people suggest that you should take a shower after waking up and get fully dressed while brewing your favorite cup of coffee. In theory, this sounds perfect however I don’t believe this is practical. I think some people taking business meetings in their pajamas and they are no less productive than the average person.

   My recommendation - Identify what gets you moving in the morning and do it, it’s that simple. Feel free to try different methods since there is no one size fits all method to get your mind ready for work. As for me (a recent addition to the work from home community) I need shower and coffee. I do not dress up as I would if I was heading to the office, I wear leggings and a decent looking top. just in case I have to make a cameo on a video call.

2. Organize your work-space

   Find the most work appropriate space in your home, pay attention to details like light, wingspan and comfort. Ensure that all the tools that are needed for work can exist in this space. Ask yourself the following questions - How is your posture in this space? Can you focus in this space? Add and remove items to the space accordingly.

3. Manage your time

   Time management is something that I find super interesting because things are constantly changing so the way time is managed also has to keep changing. When I get to my desk in the office I grab my notepad and organize my top 5 tasks immediately. I usually break around 10:30 to get coffee (and a snack) then I break again around 2 pm. these breaks are so routine that I usually don’t think too hard about them. Working from home is very different, I tried to use the same routine but would end up right back at the desk and computer just a few minutes after a break. and at the end of the day, I would be exhausted.

   I then realized that I was using a lot more brainpower now than I was before since I was taking fewer and shorter breaks.

   My recommendation is to organize your top 3 tasks for the day, tackle the most important and urgent task first and do not try to do too much as once - focus!

   Organize your breaks with your tasks. Actively organize your task list and add 3 break periods. [15 minutes] [ 1 hr ] [15 minutes] and walk away from your computer (completely) during this time.

4. Set Boundaries

   This is one of the tasks that only the veteran “work from homers” shared with me. While you attempt to readjust to the new norms things can and will get overwhelming and fast. Children are now home from school and parents are required to work, be home school teachers and conduct house duties all at the same time. Everyone is trying to host a meeting of some sort whether it is a work meeting or a social media challenge, we are being pulled in more directions now that ever before but we must create boundaries.

   My recommendation is to start by saying no. Say no to your friends when they ask you to take that shot challenge on Instagram on a random Monday evening. Set clear rules with your family about the new schedule that is now being implemented, let them know that all parties are needed to do their part in order for a new system to work. Set clear rules to colleagues that you do not want to be on video or be a part of a chat that isn’t important to work. Say no when your spouse decides to chit chat with you while you are in the middle of drafting an important email. Give yourself the chance to fall into a new routine, say no to random distractions and be firm about it.

Photo by Arnel Hasanovic on Unsplash

Just a quick note before I wrap this up, remember to make logging off an shutting down your computer an important part of your routine. Stay home and keep a positive attitude!

Do you have any new work from home tips that you would like to share? add them in the comments below~