Whilst we are all adapting to our current new lives of working from home or entering a period of furlough, we thought it would be best to help you plan your days which seem to be getting longer and long.
Don’t just survive in lockdown, make sure you thrive and plan your day well with our team’s top tips for working from home.
- Make sure that each day you have a lose schedule that you are going to stick with, whether that schedule starts at 8am or 12pm does not make a difference. Make sure you shower and get dressed, don’t stay in your PJs, make yourself feel good.
- A good tip to incorporate into your daily routine is to make sure you take the time to go out of the house in the morning. Walk around the block and then walk back into your house as if you are coming into work, this should make you feel like you are coming into a different environment and keep you on track where possible.
- Make sure you set up a proper work space, the work space in the image above is the work from home space from one of our employees. If you don’t have a view quite as great as this I wouldn’t worry. Just try to set up your work station ideally near a window with fresh air and natural light and a good chair with back support, where possible make sure you’re not working from your bed or sofa, your bedroom is your sacred relax space– ideally set up a station near a window with some fresh air and natural light.
- Plan your day and stick to a routine, make a list of tasks or things you want to achieve and cross these off once achieved. A good way to order these is by going over the list at the end of the day and categorising into lists of done, doing and to-do.
- Don’t be afraid to talk regular breaks, you would still go to the toilet and make a brew if you were at work so don’t be afraid to do it at home. Missing a call is fine, try not to worry too much, always relate it back to if you were in the office, it’s impossible to answer every single call, every day. Make sure you force yourself to take your full lunch break, maybe go for a walk or do some exercise because it is easy to find yourself back at your workspace whilst eating lunch. Breaks are not only a legal requirement they are great for getting your creative juices flowing.
- If you are by yourself listen to the radio so that you feel as though you have company. A great way to keep on track is to listen to podcasts, a bit of background noise is really useful. Others in the office like to listen to music without lyrics or music in another language such as KPOP.
- Ensure your working room is tidy, as the saying goes, tidy life – tidy mind. Make sure there are no dirty pots or unmade beds to distract you.
- If you have children try to share the responsibility with your partner so that one person keeps an eye on them for the morning whilst the other really gets their head down and into the swing of things and then swap responsibilities for the afternoon. If you are by yourself make a cohesive plan for the children so that their time is strategically planned out so they are less likely to interrupt when they get bored.
- If you are working at home with your other half a fun tip is to create an imaginary housemate to blame things on to stop you from arguing. E.g. Alexa has left all her dirty pots in the sink again; I wish she wouldn’t do that. *Hint, hint, nudge, nudge*
- When it is the end of work time close your laptop and turn your phone notifications off, this is your time at home to relax, don’t let work take over your personal life as well.