Sensibly, more and more companies have enabled their staff to work from home due to the coronavirus outbreak. However, for those that are new to working remotely, it can be a struggle to stay productive and maintain a home-work balance. We all face unique challenges, from our different personalities, various lifestyles and the type of work we do. Still, as remote employees, we have a lot of basic issues in common. It is important to identify and change some of your habits and routines to make working from home a success. Here are our top 10 useful tips for working from home:
Tips
1. Create a plan: This will help you figure out when to work, where to work, and how to create boundaries between work and personal life.
2. Set a schedule and stick to it: You need to chronicle when you start work, when your breaks are and how to factor in your chores. This will help you not to abuse the flexibility that remote working offers.
3. Ground rules for people in your space: Be it family, flatmates or a partner, all hands need to be on deck to ensure an enabling environment for your work.
4. Ask for what you need: Don’t hesitate to demand from your office for the tools and equipment that will aid a seamless work experience.
5. Stay Connected: You should Skype, facetime or conference call your team in real-time. You ask for help on the spot, ask questions and even share a laugh to ease tensions. This can also help you send a clear message that will prevent misinterpreting your tone when you put all your communication in writing.
6. Online training opportunities: Remember the courses you’ve been postponing? This is your chance to take advantage of online training opportunities.
7. Reporting: It is important to communicate your progress to your superiors. You also need to communicate your schedule to those who need to be informed. They will be in the know about when to reach you and when you are out of reach.
8. Family time: This is perhaps one of the greatest perks of remote working. Spend time with your family and catch up on time that work hours have deprived you of.
9. Don’t be too hard on yourself: We understand that it takes a generous amount of focus to manage remote working. However be careful not to be too focused that you forget to eat, take breaks or unwind.
10. Stay Positive: Put in as much effort into staying safe as you put into staying positive. Worrying can be crippling and can dampen your productivity. Remember, this too shall pass!