Remote working and remote learning are here to stay. Whether you ran a progressive business that has a track record of flexibility when it comes to work, or were part of a company that had to rapidly adapt thanks to the advance of the global pandemic, it's a fact that more of us have worked from home during the last six months than ever before. For most people, working remotely for sustained periods of time is something new. And although there are obviously upsides like getting rid of the daily commute, there are also new challenges to cope with, like communication, teamwork and productivity. As working from home doesn’t look likely to be going anywhere anytime soon, these tips could help you to stay motivated and overcome barriers.
Create A Proper Work Environment
It's amazing how many of us end up working from the kitchen table surrounded by half-empty mugs and cereal bowls, or on the sofa. This may feel comfortable at first, but there’s simply no way you’re going to be at your productive best without a proper working environment. You need to find a space that you can just dedicate for work, even if that’s just a foldaway desk, with a proper, ergonomically designed office chair and room for your laptop and any other things you need access to. At the end of the day, make sure you can physically separate from your place of work. It’s important for our mental health to draw a boundary between our work and our home life, so make it a rule.
Plan Out Your Day
It’s very easy to just drift through the day without a set plan, but that is actually the worst thing you can do. Each day, take a few minutes to set out clear objectives for the day ahead of you, and book out time slots in your calendar to get them done. This makes it far more likely that you’ll stay focused and on a task when you should – you can even set a timer if you want to make sure you get something done in a certain amount of time. Applications like Trello can help you compile a task list and allocate priorities.
Stay Connected
One of the hardest factors about being based at home is the lack of connection with others. It’s really important to maintain a certain amount of contact and not just use email and instant messaging for everything. Insist on face-to-face catch-ups – even if they have to be using video conferencing for the time being – and try to keep up with events in your industry. If you’re in the Passenger Transportation industry, software, fashion, education – no matter the sector – there are still lots of online industry events, conferences and networking opportunities. It’s important to still attend these as it keeps you connected within your sector and helps to generate new thinking and enthusiasm for what you do.
Adapting to working from home can be done – as long as you are mindful of the specific challenges the situation brings and have a plan for how to handle them. And remember to switch off at ‘hometime’ and enjoy the time you get back from commuting!
