ASUS Business Hub

There are a lot of benefits to working from home. No commute, no noisy cubicle neighbours, no one stealing your favourite mug when all you want is a hot cup of coffee to kick the day off right. It’s your space, your time, your work. That said, there are pitfalls to working from home, but nothing you can’t avoid with the right mentality in mind.

Distractions Are Everywhere

TVs, no IT-installed website blockers, family, pets, the fridge. The list of possible home distractions is virtually endless, and it’s often hard to say no when your child has walked into your home office and is demanding time and attention. Even if your attention is firmly glued to your monitor, the array of social media platforms, news sites, and YouTube videos are more than enough to eat into your work day. The Solution: For in-house distractions, remove anything that you wouldn’t see in your work office; that means televisions, games, and so on should be gone. Set clear boundaries for family when it comes to your working hours; if you’re working, you shouldn’t be distracted or interrupted. In terms of digital distractions, you can find various tools and apps that block access to social media, video sites and similar distractions for set periods of time. Browser extensions like StayFocusd and LeechBlock are great examples of limiting what you can access during the working day.

Stuck in Your Seat

With the increased productivity that comes with working from home, comes a new problem; your health. In a typical office, you’ll be up and about, making drinks, liaising with colleagues, and heading out for lunch. When you work from home, you’re more likely to be glued to your chair. That means a lot less exercise and movement that you’d otherwise be getting if you were in the office. The average person spends 12 hours sitting down a day, with physical inactivity being the 4^th leading risk factor for global mortality (JustStand). The Solution: Make a concerted effort to get up out of your chair for at least ten to fifteen minutes every hour or so and get some space. Stretch, do some light exercise if you have time; just make sure you’re moving your body and stretching out those achy shoulders, back, and wrists. When you’re in your seat, ensure your posture is correct and that your monitor is set at the right height (your eyes should be in line with the top of your monitor screen or slightly below), and make use of ergonomic keyboards, wrist rests, and similar health-oriented peripherals.

Losing Touch with Your Team

20% of the UK population report feeling lonely, and remote workers are likely to make up a significant portion of that demographic. While it’s beneficial for productivity (TalentLMS interviewed 450 remote workers, 90% of which stated working from home is more productive for them), working from home can be an isolating experience, particularly if you’re not used to it. The Solution: Schedule regular meetings with team members to catch up on how work is going, ideate on new projects, and so on. Stay connected to your team by using apps like Slack and Teams to keep lines of communication open.  

Make sure you check out our coverage of the tops tools for team communication and much more here: The Remote Team Toolbox Part 1: The Tools and Apps That Keep a Remote Team Working Well

  Why not schedule some work-related socials after work hours are over? Video games in the evenings, casual hangouts at lunch; there are plenty of ways to stay connected with colleagues without needing to be sat next to them.

Working Too Much

According to Buffer, the biggest issue facing 22% of remote works is switching off once worktime is over. It’s tempting to hop back onto the laptop to wrap up one last piece of work or check your phone for that last-minute email, but doing so distorts the clear separation between your working day and your personal life. It can be tricky because working from your home already blurs the line between work and home life. The Solution: Start by switching off your business devices. If you can, physically separate your work and business spaces; a corner for your computer, or a home office is the perfect way to draw a clear line in the sand between when you’re ‘at work’ and ‘at home’.   Stay connected with ASUS: Stay Connected