How to Home-work effectively?

Most, if not everyone has had their lives affected by the current state of affairs in the world.

What is happening is surrounded by a huge amount of uncertainty and we are all asking the same questions;

• How long will this go on for?
• Will my job be safe?
• Are there any toilet rolls left?

Although I am unable to answer all your questions, what I can do is provide advice in order to help you adjust your work life to these very unusual circumstances. 

As the idea of a potential lockdown looms over our heads we have all taken the necessary actions and some of us are now working from home. Many of you may already be used to the idea of remote working, but for those who are new to this like myself, I have put together some tips which have helped me adapt to this sudden change of scene.

1.    It is important to take breaks; Being at home, isolating yourself can make it very easy to forget to take a well-needed break. Attempt to keep the same daily structure as you would if you were in the office. At 10:30 stop to make yourself a tea, coffee or just to get away from your computer for a few minutes. Don’t forget that lunch break either. Make sure you step away from your “office” to eat your lunch, maybe go for a walk but try to avoid falling into the habit of eating lunch at your desk.

2.    Stick to your normal work schedule; Without our daily commute and our new place of work being easy to access it can be tempting to check your emails as soon as you wake-up or finish off a project before you got to bed. This is not a healthy way of working and it can also be very unproductive. Keep to your core hours, and when you have finished work shut down your computer and rest for the evening. It’s okay to be conscientious and start work early or finish late but remember that your spare time is important too.

3.    Creating your home office; If you have an office at home then that’s great, but for those of you that don’t have this benefit I would recommend finding a room at home where you can set up a desk and shut the door to any distractions. If you have a laptop then it can be all too tempting to sit on the sofa or chill in bed while you work but this isn’t the way to a successful workday. 

4.    Don’t be lonely; If you are used to that energetic and busy office environment that I am then you may start to get that “deserted on an island” feeling when you are working at home. Keep in contact with your colleagues throughout the working day, whether you send an email, drop a text or give them a call. Reach out to your friends at work as they are probably missing the office chit chat too.

It can take a day or two to adjust to home working if you are not used to it, but I hope that my advice will be able to help make that transition easier for you.

If you have any tips you want to share or wanted to discuss how to make home-working successful for you then please do get in contact.

I wish all of you the very best through these strange and changeable times.

Stay Safe!