Due to COVID-19, working from home has become a must and not a luxury for many professionals. This means that many of us face the unusual challenge of working from home for the first time on a full-time basis. When working at home, you have the flexibility to do your work. But that luxury can often turn into a missed opportunity if it’s not planned accordingly.
You must get your basics right to follow a well-organized routine and avoid compulsions.
GET READY FOR YOUR WORK
It is unnecessary to dress as formally as you might for work, but a mere act of changing clothes will give you a signal to wake up and get the job done.
Getting dressed also applies to other appearance-based tasks: Take a shower, brush your hair, even put on makeup if that’s what you’d usually do. You don’t need to go as all out as you would for the office if you don’t want to, but waking up and taking care of your appearance can go a long way towards helping you feel like you’re taking care of yourself.
Just because you’re working from home doesn’t mean that no one from work will see you. You might be asked to show up for video meetings which are very common these days.
DESIGNATED WORKSPACE
One of the big challenges when it comes to working remotely is keeping your work and home lives separate. “For some people, it becomes very blurry,” says Muse Career coach Lynn Berger, who specializes in helping people navigate career transitions. Keep separate spaces so the boundaries between work and home life are clearly defined.
Use a clean and uncluttered desktop, where you’d love to work. Spare no resources to stay comfortable. You are going to spend many hours there, so buy a convenient chair, with which you can adopt and maintain a good posture for long. Find an area with good natural lighting if at all possible.
INVEST IN QUALITY TECHNOLOGY
Good internet connectivity is the ultimate tool for remote workers. However, in order to acquire an affordable network, it’s better to do proper research on the specifications, speed, and price before making a decision and the same applies to a good working system which is a prerequisite to improve your working capacity.
DEFINE WORKING HOURS
Just as you designate and separate your physical workspace, you need to be clear about when you are working and when you are not. When your mind is completely on to work, it is quite possible for you to be unaware of the amount of time that has passed.
This is an unhealthy practice. Being a workaholic is good but within working hours. You need not overdo it.
A general work-life is a very important factor when working from home. Your personal life is just as important as your professional life. As they say, “All the work and no game make Jack a dull boy “- don’t let yourself be a Jack. So, wrap it up at the correct hour!
DEVELOP MORNING & EVENING ROUTINE
Wellness is the complete integration of body, mind, and spirit – the realization that everything we do, think, feel, and believe has an effect on our state of well-being. ~Greg Anderson
Exercise, yoga, or meditation in the early morning have always proved to be constructive. It strengthens focus, improves self-awareness, and reduces stress levels. So, wake up one hour prior to your working hour, take a shower, meditate for 5-10 minutes, make your coffee, and breakfast and it’s done now you can kickstart your day with a clear mind.
Excessive work often leads your mind to close down. It even makes you anxious. To reduce your distress caused during work you can meditate or can for an evening walk.
EAT AND SLEEP RIGHT
Along with yoga and meditation being on a healthy diet is very essential when you are a working person. Therefore, you must eat food that helps you function better instead of draining your energy.
Another most crucial activity which goes unnoticed while working from home is your sleep pattern. It might take a toss when you work from home. Maintain a minimum of 6 hours of sleep, which is imperative if you want to achieve the best results.
PREPARE TO-DO LIST
When you are working from home, it can be challenging to keep track of what you have to do throughout your workday. So start your day by creating a to-do list that will allow you to keep track of your progress efficiently. This keeps your focus intact, thereby improving your knowledge and makes the work doable And you look forward to accomplishing the rest of the duties.
TAKE BREAKS
When you are in the office, it is really common to yearn for breaks for your mind to relax. But when you start working from home your work time tangled with your breaks. So, you should set precise times for breaks. Walk around, play with your pet, take a nap or maybe listen to music. It is purely scientific, your prefrontal cortex (the thinking part of the brain) needs breaks to avoid decision fatigue and maximize production capacity along with amplifying your creativity.
INTERACT WITH COLLEAGUES
In a home setting, everyone works differently, from your teammates to your managers. Therefore, sharing information and getting everyone on the same page is often difficult. Under such circumstances, communication is the cue to steering up these bumps
So, take time to meet with your team regularly and it’s not always necessary to have an agenda for a meeting a normal chit-chat is fine as long as it breaks the social isolation one suffers while working from home. You have to be more proactive about nurturing professional relationships.