With the COVID pandemic forcing us to shut down from social contacts, the companies around the world have rolled out mandatory Work from Home policies whether you are a newbie or a seasoned employee. It will be not wrong to assume that shifting to the home office or a remote office is the new normal. While the mandated work from home brings along with it some challenges of working from home that one should be aware of, there are some important work from home tips for success that will make you more productive. These tips for working from home effectively will help you take care of yourself, and turn the challenges into opportunities. So hold on for some creative work from home tips coming up right after!
Some of you may be working from home for the first time, and others work from home occasionally. In both, cases working from home for success is of prime concern especially, when working from home is becoming a preferred way of working for both – the employers and the employees.
Creative Work From Home Tips For Success!
1. Establish a Clear Line of Communication
Lockdown or not, the key to working from home is clear and effective communication with your boss and the team while making sure what is expected out of you and your team. Out of sight – Out of mind can be a real source of problems while working from home and working remotely. And it is one of the major challenges of working from home. Here are some work from home tips for success you must try in such a case”
- Ask your manager to have a 10-15 mins call daily to ‘kick off’ the day and ‘wrap up’ the day.
- Use richer modes of communication that are face-to-face and instant like video calls on Skype, Zoom, WhatsApp, Face-time etc.
- Find appropriate times to have virtual meetings with your manager and co-workers.
2. Make it a Real Job
Treat work from home as a real job. Some creative work from home tips to make it look like a real job are:
Get dressed
It is a good habit to get dressed daily, the way you do while going to the office. Take shower, and get ready in comfortable semi-formal clothes. Do not lounge on your bed in those pyjamas. This is not just a job from home but your livelihood.
Create a dedicated office space or workplace
If you do not have a work from home office, you can create a dedicated ad-hoc workstation in some corner of your house or room exclusive for your work. Have it fully equipped like your office workstation for example upright chair, table, sticky notes, whiteboards, stationery, printer, laptop or desktop, dustbin, water bottle, mobile or phone etc. Try having everything you need within your reach.
Not having a well-equipped and dedicated office does reduce your productivity. Lying in your bed with your laptop is a strict no. Try to create something which is more deliberate. It is one of the major tips for working from home effectively.
Create boundaries within your home
Doing so will hint to your family members that it is your serious workspace and encroaching that area will not be appreciated during work hours. This becomes all the more important as kids are at home due to lockdown. For example, you can set rules like- if the door is closed, pretend that you are not there.
3. Deliberately open and close your Day
Make sure to deliberately open and close the day. Since you are not commuting to and fro from home to office, which indicates clear boundaries of start and closure of your workday, opening and closing your work from home days is a good idea to keep you more productive.
For example, starting your workday with a cup of coffee as you do while you reach the office physically and closing it with a call with your manager or round up with your team is a good idea. This will mark your day open and close boundaries. While closing the day, be in a frame of mind to close your work on time to catch up with daily household chores like laundry or spending time with kids.
4. Thrive to achieve work from home “Work-Life Balance”
Maintain a healthy work-life balance the way you aim to do while in your actual office.
- This first rule is to not bring your work to your family after office hours. Leave your work in your home office as your step out of it.
- Take short breaks while working and have family lunch and snacks. Focus on overall health and wellbeing.
- Avoid your work mobile phone or laptop during mealtimes, and family times.
5. Stay focussed at home
Working from home not only brings along with its distractions of home but also the isolation that comes along with remote working confining us to our rooms – both may damage your productivity.
Avoiding isolation
To avoid isolation it is a good idea to bond with your team over phone calls, video catch up sessions and virtual get-togethers. Celebrating birthdays, public praising of teammates for goals achievement, having virtual pizza parties with the team, give a feeling of connectedness and lightness to an otherwise isolated environment.
Staying focused
While working from home calls for being motivated, minimising familial distractions, controlling urges to use social media and taking bedroom naps, while focussing on achieving daily defined goals. In short, having a prioritised schedule is a good idea to stay focused.
Above everything else, figuring out what works best for you and seeking advice, inspiration & work from home tips from other people who are in the same boat, will definitely give you some more fresh ideas to be more productive.
Happy Working from Home!
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