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Working from home? Have a team of staff doing the same? Whether you’re making the switch solo, or you work with a team spread across the country, working from home can have mixed results. Some individuals thrive, having the space to focus and be productive, while others struggle to deal with not being surrounded by a team they work with every day. Here are a handful of tips to stay productive and energised during a work-day from home, whether you’re making the switch permanently or just making your home your temporary office.  

Communication is Key

It can often be daunting making the move to working from home. You or the team you manage may be struggling to adapt to a quieter, colleague-free environment. To combat this harsh contrast, it’s important to maintain lines of communication. There are multiple methods of communication, ranging from Skype calls and Slack channels to conferencing tools like Zoom. Ensure you stay in touch with your team, not just to ensure work is being done and projects are completed, but to check that everyone still feels like they’re a part of the team, whether they’re in a home office or not.

Set Up a Dedicated Work Space

The idea of moving from sofa to kitchen table with a laptop and getting plenty of work done is one many aspire to. While the idea itself conjures wonderful imagery of being a productive powerhouse no matter where you are, you’ll make focusing on work difficult for yourself if you work simply anywhere. To make your new workspace feel real, it’s important to set up a dedicated space where you go to sit down and get work done. Whether it’s a corner in your living room or a dedicated spare room, set up a space where work is the primary purpose. That way, your kitchen surfaces stay clear of paperwork and laptops, and you’ll stop wanting to avoid the sofa due to feelings of impending work in the evenings.

Leave When the Clock Strikes Five

Working from home, it’s easy to slip into habits where you hop onto your PC to check emails, perform some quick edits on that document you just received, and so on. The problem is, once you start this, it’s hard to define when your workday starts and stops. Whether you’re an employee or a manager directing a team, it’s important that those working from home define work hours clearly. If your office works from 9-5pm, you should do the same. Once that clock strikes five, it’s time to switch off and enjoy time away from work.

Take Breaks

It’s addicting to see just how much work you can do when there are no distractions; people offering you a cup of tea or coffee, or inviting you out to lunch. Doing too much however, will see you or the team you’re managing quickly burn out. If you’re working from home, set scheduled 15-minute breaks twice a day, and dedicate 30 minutes for a lunch break. This gives you time to step away from the desk during the day, stretch, and refresh. If you’re managing a work-from-home team, suggest that they do this to ensure a healthy and productive work day.

Plan, Plan, Plan

When you work from home, you’re essentially your own boss; there’s no one leaning over your shoulder, making sure the work they put on your desk gets done. It’s up to you to decide what gets done and when during your day. The best way to avoid work slipping through the cracks or missed deadlines is to set plans and utilise to-do lists. Setting a schedule means you know what you should be working on and when, keeping your day ahead simple to work through, without wondering whether anything’s been missed.

Act Like You’re in the Office

Looking around while you’re working at home and seeing your pets, family, and homely surroundings can be jarring. It can be difficult to adopt a working mindset when your pets and family are vying for attention and there’s a pile of laundry you can just step away for five minutes to sort. As such, it’s important you mentally define your work space and time as ‘being in the office’. Would you step away to do laundry and play with the dog at work? Probably not, so if you can, set a mental divide between your work life and personal life. Once you sit in that home office chair, you’re at work, and anything else can wait until you have a break or have finished work at the end of the day.

Set Expectations

Following on from the previous point, if you live with family and pets, make sure you set expectations. Your family or pets might be overjoyed at having you around all day, but it’s important that they understand you’re still working. While you can take time to enjoy being around your family during breaks and enjoy eating lunch with everyone, when work starts again, you’ll want to make sure everyone in your household knows what that means in terms of your time and attention.

Focus Your Mind with Music

If you’re easily distracted, having something to focus your mind can be really helpful. The benefit of not working in an office is that you get to decide what your office looks and feels like? Want to play some gentle jazz music to relax into work to? No one is there telling you to turn the music down or off. If you’re missing the buzz of a busy office, why not turn the TV on? Be careful as screens with shows and films on can quickly become distracting and eat into your work day, but if you can avoid the temptation, they can offer relaxing background noise while you work.   Make Sure You’re Prepared To Work From Home: Stay Connected with ASUS