Top Tips For Working At Home
For many people, working from home is part of their working life, but for others, it will be the first time they’ve needed to do it. It can be a big culture shock from being surrounded by people and talking to someone right next to you to total isolation in a matter of a week. It takes some getting used but after a few weeks it starts to get easier and you can then work from pretty much anywhere, so here are a few tips to help you be more efficient and maintain your wellbeing, without feeling too isolated.
Having the right kit
Hopefully if you’re working from home, you’ve got the right tools for the job. For most this will include a web-enabled laptop, with access to your work’s intranet and files, however most people can do what they need to via email. If you need to speak to people and have a mobile phone, start using video calls. This will help you to not feel like you’re on your own, and if you’re on the phone, try to use your headphones or a headset to avoid neckache.
Flexibility versus discipline
Sticking to a routine really helps. Get up at the same time, as if you were going to leave for work, even showering and dressing for the day helps. Then get to your desk, table, kitchen work top at the same time, this will give you a feeling of continuity, the only thing that you need to be mindful of is not working over, sometimes when working at home you can work longer hours, so be strict with your start and finish times.
However, in light of Coronavirus, you’ll probably need to be more flexible, particularly if you’ve got kids and other members of your family at home. Try to find a space in the house where you can minimise disruption but be flexible enough to know that you may need to do some work in the evenings when the kids are in bed.
Don’t try to overcompensate with communication – many people feel they have to ‘be seen’, but over sending emails is going to take up other people’s time. Be efficient, get things done and share what you’ve been working on.
Take regular breaks
When you’re working from home, a routine is important, but make sure it doesn’t become monotonous. Make yourself a cup of tea or coffee, just like you would at work. Many freelancers that work from home recommend the Pomodoro Technique, whereby you choose a task and break it down into mini, focussed ‘sprints’ in the aim of reducing internal and external disruptions.
Lists is another way of compartmentalising your day, the best bit of a list is ticking off a task which gives you a huge sense of achievement. This doesn’t work for everyone, but it does help to focus your mind.
If you’re on a long conference call, stand up, walk around. These breaks will help to keep you focussed longer term and avoid burn-out.
If you normally have a lunch break – be sure to fit in some exercise; either a walk around the block (following the Government’s guidelines) or a ten-minute burst of activity to keep your energy up in the afternoon.
Keep in contact
Set up a WhatsApp group for you and your team/colleagues. Check in each morning, make sure you’re all well and ready for the day. It’s also a good way to communicate and update each other, without using email. Keep it upbeat and positive. As we’ve already mentioned, you can use video calling on your phone, but there are other options too – here’s a few you might find useful:
Zoom - is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars.
Google Hangouts – with options for both audio and video conferencing, users must have a Gmail account. You can host both of these for up to 25 people.
PowWowNow – offers free audio conferencing for unlimited guests. If you want video or web conferencing they do offer a subscription service.
Skype – one of the best-known conference-calling solutions where you can host calls for up to 25 people that have skype enabled on their computer.