10 Quick Tips For Working From Home

1. Start work early

The earlier you start, the earlier you’ll finish! It’s that simple. Additionally, studies show that waking up early and opening your curtains to let in natural light will instantly boost your mood. We all have an internal bodyclock that regulates our energy levels. Keeping to that clock and building your work schedule around it will boost your productivity!

2. Choose a dedicated office space at home

Separating your house into work and leisure spaces will help you compartmentalise your behaviour. Then when you sit down at your ‘home desk’ to start work, you’ll be more inclined to be less distracted. Routine and habits are a powerful tool in optimising productivity. So make it easy for yourself and set up a space to concentrate at home.

3. Support your lower back

Not everyone has a home office with a dedicated desk chair, meant to be sat in for long periods of time. Many people are working hours at a time at their dining room chair. In order to maintain comfortable posture and avoid injury, it’s worth investing in lower-back support. Especially during a pandemic, relieving and avoiding stress in the body and mind is incredibly important. If you have the extra money, it may we worth investing in a suitable office chair to keep at home!

4. Let family members know you’re working

Since we are all social distancing, a lot of our family members are confined to the home. Love and support from family is extremely important during a time of crises. However, it is important to create boundaries when you need to be productive. A chat about why you need quiet or to be in another room will help clear the air so you focus on work. 

5. Distract your pet 

As much as we love the videos of cats sitting on people’s laptops while they try to work, noisy pets can be a distraction when working remotely. So when it’s time to focus, why not ask a family member to take them on a walk or keep them occupied in another room. If you’re in a Zoom call and your cat jumps into your lap, try not to panic and laugh it off! Life often gets in the way when you’re working from home and that’s okay!

6. Zoom a friend to work together virtually

Okay, we’re all probably a bit tired of Zoom calls. However, working from home can be incredibly lonely. In an office, you can take a coffee break with a colleague. At home, you’re often isolated. To combat this, you can video call a friend and work at the same time. Not only does this decrease loneliness, it increases your productivity because you can hold each other accountable. 

7. Stay hydrated

Don’t forget to stay hydrated!  Write a reminder on a post-it note and stick it near your desk so you don’t forget. Quick tip: place some sliced strawberries, lemon and mint to infuse and add some flavour!

8. Make a work schedule

Working at home can blur the line between play and business. Your TV is only downstairs. Your partner is just in the other room. It would be so easy to sneak away from the laptop… Stop! In order to avoid a productivity disaster, the secret to staying focused is setting aside pre-allocated break time. Set yourself work hours so you know when to shut down the laptop and relax.

9. Take breaks in your garden or take a walk

Our brains and bodies can only exert so much energy before needing to recharge. Therefore, taking a break every now and then will actually boost your productivity. Staying active and healthy is more important than ever right now.

10. Write tomorrow’s to-do list tonight

It’s hard to keep track of everything you have to do. That’s why it’s a good idea to note things down as you go along. Writing your to-do list in the evening for tomorrow will eliminate the daunting feeling of organising your tasks in the morning.