Tips to Work from Home Effectively

“For a lot of people across the world working from home has become the new normal, and the chances are a large portion of us are much more accustomed to the home/work life. The pandemic has been catastrophic to a lot of people; some have been on furlough, others were let go due to a decrease of demand, and some people may have struggled to find work.

For those that are not yet up to speed with working from home, we’ve produced a short guide of some top tips for working from home effectively to help you settle into your role.

Set Clear Boundaries
One of the most important things you can do when working from home is set yourself extremely clear boundaries. These boundaries should not only apply to working hours, but also the space in which you work. For instance, designate a certain area to become your ‘workstation’, allowing you to separate your home life and work life. It can be difficult to differentiate between the two, so having a clear boundary between work and home will settle you into a much healthier way of working.

Take Breaks Often
When you’re working from home, you miss the everyday distraction of an office environment, from team discussions, chats in the kitchen, impromptu meetings and various other occasions that take your mind off the task at hand. Therefore it is important to make a solid effort to take regular breaks from work. Whether you decide to go and make a coffee, do some laundry or go and give your dog a cuddle (which is one of the biggest benefits of working from home) – taking a 10-minute break will help. These little tasks will help you to take your mind off work and prevent burnout and overworking throughout the day.

Keep In Contact
It can become quite lonely constantly working from home, particularly if your job doesn’t require a great amount of communication with others. Therefore to ensure that you do not become too isolated it is important to take the time and effort out to talk with other colleagues, even if it’s as simple as an online coffee call or a quick catch-up with the team. Just a 5-minute chat could give you that little boost you needed to get through the rest of the day.

You don’t just need to rely on Zoom calls and Teams messenger to keep in touch with colleagues and other industry-related people. LinkedIn is also a great tool to develop and build networks and relationships throughout your industry, and what better time to start making the most of it than when everyone is stuck sitting at home?

Keep Your Station Tidy
It’s so easy to have an off day when you’re working from home, which is to be expected. However, there is one simple way you can help, which is to keep your workstation neat and tidy. You’ll underestimate just how much a cluttered desk can start to chip away at your productivity and motivation. Even if you spend 5 minutes at the end of every day filing away any loose pieces of paper, you can come straight down to a fresh desk and get the day going on a positive note.
Celebrate The Wins
Motivation is key to high productivity when working, and none more so when you are working from home. It is so important to take time out of your week to acknowledge the things you have achieved and the successful jobs you have completed. It’s easy to become fixated on things you haven’t done, but essential to not become bogged down with this mindset. Take the time to celebrate each and every win you have no matter how big or small, acknowledge the good work of others and focus on building a positive platform to push off of. “