With the current travel restrictions globally due to the pandemic, you probably are one of the individual or business travelers adjusting to the new trend of working remotely.
A lot of companies were urged to implement work from home schemes and adjusting to this new situation may require you to change some of your accustomed routines and habits.
Here are some useful tips and suggestions for people working from home to keep your mental well-being and productivity at a high level, and to make working from home a success!
1. Choose the Right Spot for a Cozy Workspace
The first decision to make when working from home is choosing the best spot to work from. If you’re used to going into an office, the detachment between work and home is physical, and as much as possible, you want to try to recreate that with a designated physical work area at home. For your home working station, you should find a well-lit place with good air circulation if at all possible. Make sure also to have the right seat where you can focus and sit comfortably, without straining your neck, wrists, or back.
2. Set and Maintain Regular Hours
The beauty of working from home is having flexibility in setting your working hours. For instance, if you are most productive in the morning, then you may want to set your work hours from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Having clear measures on when to work and when to call it a day helps a lot of remote workers maintain a work-life balance. You’ll get your best work done and will be ready to transition back to the office if you stick with your usual hours. Set a schedule, and maintain it.
3. Eat Healthy Meals & Snacks
A reality of working from home is that we have full access to the kitchen. When it’s time for a snack break, we are usually drawn to snacks, like cookies, burgers, chips, or leftover pizza. If you are an avid snacker, then make it a point to make a healthy meal, the same as you would, if you had to go into an office. Research has shown that eating healthy meals and snacks has a direct link to better mood and productivity levels. However, do not be too hard on yourself, have a reward by having a sweet snack on Friday after a fruitful and productive week.
4. Take a Break From Social Media
Taking a break from social media is a great way for you to be motivated and focused on your work. If you’re an avid social media user, it will be better to shut off social media notifications while you are working. Consider muting your notifications on your mobile phone as social media can consume the time that you can spend for your work. Reducing mindless use of social media helps avoid distractions, so you can focus on being more productive.
5. Maintain Work Connection and Use Reliable Technologies
Your work from home performance depends a lot on the efficiency of the tools you are using! If your computer, mobile device, and your internet connection is good, then a transition from office to remote working will not affect your productivity at all! Maintain a connection to the office and make sure that you have everything to stay connected with your colleagues: Video conference tools ( headphones, and a webcam), and service (like Zoom). Keeping a good level of communication with your coworkers will ease the impact of this change.
Working from home can be a bit of a challenge at first. But when there’s a contagious disease going around, staying at home and avoiding crowded offices are important measures to greatly reduce the likelihood of transmission. Until COVID-19 is under control, the benefits of working at home outweigh the inconvenience.
