Lots of people who have until now have only ever worked in an office have recently found themselves having to work from home. Some people have found this easy, others more challenging. Below are five tips to help any worker make the necessary adjustments they need to thrive in a work from home setup.
Create A Dedicated Work Space
Every work from home worker needs to have their own office space at home. Having a home office means a dedicated area where you can be free from distractions and give your entire focus over to your work. Of course, some people work better when they have some kind of background noise playing; there’s nothing wrong with adding a radio or TV set if those things will help you to work. A pair of speakers that you can connect your smartphone to is a good idea as you can choose whatever music, noises, or other sounds you need to help you work.
If you share your home with other people, you will need to factor them in when you are deciding on a space to use. If you set yourself up right next to someone’s bedroom, you should expect all the associated noises to come through the walls. You might need to talk to your housemates and find a compromise.
Give Yourself Space To Unwind As Well
One of the most common problems that people have when they first transition to working from home is that they fail to put up any barriers between their work lives and their personal lives. Many people dream of being able to work from home because they find the idea of being able to work without having to leave their house so appealing. However, what many people overlook is that bringing their work into their home removes the clear distinction between their work and home lives. Unless you make an effort to separate the two, you could quickly find your work consuming you.
Creating this clear delineation is part of the reason that we recommend setting up a dedicated working space. But it is just as crucial that you have a dedicated area for unwinding and relaxing. If you only have limited space in your home, you might want to try and design your office or workspace so that it can be packed away and transformed into a recreational area at the end of the day.
It is entirely up to you what you put in your breakroom and how you design it. Some people like to have a games console set up to take their minds off their work. Other people would prefer to sink into a Fombag with a good book. The Fombag is a high-quality bean bag chair that is an absolute joy to relax in.
Set Yourself A Work Schedule
If you want to be a productive employee when working from home, you need to set yourself a precise schedule. If you aren’t used to working from home, you might need to prepare for the challenges involved. For example, when you are working from home, you take responsibility for motivating yourself and ensuring that you are completing all of your assigned tasks, there isn’t going to be a manager watching over your shoulder and encouraging you.
However, having a firm schedule to follow is invaluable for working efficiently and effectively. It will help you to visualize the time you have available to you and exactly how you will allocate it. Not only this, but a schedule is also an excellent motivational tool. As you complete your daily tasks, you can tick them off your work plan and see your progress throughout the day.
It is important to remember that just because you set yourself more work to do, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you will be able to do it. You need to be realistic when creating your schedule so that you aren’t trying to bite off more than you can chew. You can always make your program more ambitious as time goes on but start with a plan that you know you can quickly achieve.
Remember To Give Yourself Breaks
You should also give some thought to the kind of furniture that you choose for your home office. It is hard to overstate list how much of a difference it can make to have the right furniture to sit on while you work. Sitting on mismatched or uncomfortable furniture for hours on end isn’t just physically unpleasant and painful, but it can also lead to increased stress and anxiety. In the long-term, you could end up facing severe physical and emotional health issues that stem from a bad working environment.
Finally, try to choose a room that is well-ventilated and one where you can control the temperature easily. You want a home office that is comfortable to be in year-round. However, if you can maintain a comfortable room temperature at all times and keep the room well-ventilated, it is much easier to work with maximum efficiency.
Stick To The Limits You Set Yourself
Working from home makes it all too easy to overwork yourself without taking any time off. If you don’t maintain a clear separation between your work and home lives, it is easy to fall into this trap. Whenever you set yourself limits for how long you will work or set aside specific hours to relax in, make sure that you are sticking to your limits. That means that when the clock marks the end of the workday, you aren’t afraid to stop what you are doing and let your free time begin.
Once you have adjusted to working from home, there is no reason why you can’t be just as productive, if not more so. Of course, everyone’s job is different, as are our employers. Adjusting to working from home is always going to be more difficult for some than others. However, if you can stick to the advice outlined above, you should have no trouble making the transition.