7 Tips for Working from Home
For most people, working from home right now is not a free choice. Some enjoy it, while others really don't, because it's harder to maintain focus when working from home and the day tends to get consumed by distractions.
That's why we gathered thoughts from people who have been working from home for years and can give us valuable advice.
So how do you maintain productivity when there are so many temptations around you, from the fridge and the TV to piles of unironed laundry (yes, if you had to choose between a boring analysis or ironing, then... here I come, 13 shirts to iron!)
1. Set a fixed working schedule
As you've probably already learned from experience, working without a daily schedule doesn't accomplish much. You don't need to write down every activity in great detail, but at least set when it's work time and when it's not. Try to stick to it at least roughly and don't give in to temptation during work time – heaven forbid! – like washing dishes, for example.
Divide your work time into roughly hourly blocks with 10–20-minute breaks between them.
2. Use your breaks wisely
Lifestyle and health blogger Amanda Torres encourages in her work-from-home post to move around during breaks and do exercises, stretches, or take a short walk. She has eight years of experience working from home and we can probably trust her when she says that breaks, or your personal time, should be treated with the same importance as work time, rather than skipping them with the excuse that there's so much to do.
Breaks are also very important for resting your eyes, so if you want to be extra diligent, you can do eye exercises while moving your body. You can find a whole bunch of ideas in this video.
Let your breaks be free from all screens, both for resting your eyes and your mind. Yes, even your phone should be left on the desk when you get up from it.
3. Get dressed!
In the first days of working from home, it may have seemed tempting to spend half the day in your pajamas, but when you dress yourself properly, it puts you in a work mood and forces you to be productive. Let your pajamas and bathrobe mark the time when you can relax and clear work thoughts from your head.
4. Set up a work area
If you have a separate room for your home office, you probably don't have as much trouble staying on the work wavelength as those who are just learning to work from home. But if you're among the latter, we recommend setting up a specific area where you work every day.
This affects your work efficiency the same way getting dressed does, because it puts you in work mode.
Keep your work area tidy, don't let a big mess pile up there, or it will pile up in your head too.
5. Agree on rules with other family members
It's easier to suggest just closing the office door than to actually do it, because in these difficult times everyone is home all the time. Still, work needs to get done and organizing home life probably requires holding a proper family meeting and agreeing on rules. This is the case if you have school-aged children in the family who also need to be "at school" during the day.
6. Think through activities for small children beforehand
Of course, working with small children is more complicated, but it's still doable, as experienced parents who have been working from home longer say.
Parent.com suggests agreeing with younger children about your work time, when the child plays on their own, and playtime, when the parent plays with the child or at least gives them attention. If the child knows such a nice time to look forward to, they'll manage better playing on their own and won't disturb mom or dad during work time.
Sara Sutton from Flexjobs suggests warning your boss that a call may unexpectedly end if a little one needs attention despite the agreement or if something's wrong... situation.
She also suggests having virtual babysitters in the form of grandparents, a friend, or a relative that the child is used to and likes to talk to during important calls. Arrange the call via Skype or another channel and you'll have time to make that important work call.
Once the child has settled down and you've been able to focus on work, reward them, for example by drawing together or putting a puzzle together. We know, this sounds simple, but it's damn hard to do when you also have to keep the household running and prepare meals on top of work.
7. Reward yourself too
Reward yourself at the end of the work day with a nice movie, a walk, or why not some chocolate. Reward yourself even if you didn't manage to do everything you had planned. Keeping your spirits up is very important right now.
Remember, you're not alone
Right now it's easy to go completely crazy with your thoughts, feel anxious, lonely, or feel like you can't handle it. But you know what! We're all in this mess together and we'll probably get through it together too!
Hold on!
