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7 WAYS TO SET YOURSELF UP TO WORK FROM HOME
Posted On April 30, 2020
Working from home is the option for many staff currently, as businesses work with COVID-19 guidelines for staff and customers. If you have never worked from home before, there are some tips to manage your working day remotely.
1 – Ensure you have the tools to effectively work from home
You may be good to go, or you may need to touch base with your company’s IT provider to ensure the following:
- You have a computer/laptop available to use
- You have access to relevant files and documents to do your work
- You can access your emails
In addition to this you will need to check:
- Your internet connection is suitable to work remotely
- You can use your mobile/landline and your plan is set up to make the calls you need
2 – Set up your workspace
Ideally it is easiest to have a dedicated workspace. If you have a home office, it is quite easy to make space here to work from. You need a space where you can work uninterrupted by other family or flatmates, and somewhere you can leave some items set up or to easily pack away at the end of the day.
Regardless of where you set up at home, your space needs to be tidy and allow you to access what you need (power to plug in your laptop, access to your phone etc)
3 – Dress for the occasion
My colleague Naomi is an advocate for this one. She regularly works from her home office and believes in dressing as if she is going to work. “I find when I dress for work, it gets me in the right mindset for the day. It also helps if you have any distractions or visitors, people will often comment and once they know you are working, respect your time and let you get back to your work”.
4 – Schedule your day as you would normally
Plan your time as you would in the office – if you can, still have your meetings, utilising technology such as Skype or Zoom. Set blocks of time for certain tasks and if you need to, turn off your emails for an hour so you are not distracted by these.
5 – Schedule your breaks
It is easy to miss your breaks when you are working from home. Morning tea break disappears, but no matter where you are working from, it is important to take a break, recharge and then get back into your work.
6 – Catch up with your team, colleagues, clients etc
Working remotely can be lonely, but you can still flick around a “good morning” email to your colleagues and pick up the phone to have a conversation with someone. It is important to still connect in with those around you, if you need to schedule a specific time to have those conversations, lock it in.
7 – Switch it off at the end of the day
When you have everything set up at home, it can be easy to beaver on after your working day is done, or to switch on to check something etc. You need to be the manager of your time and once you have finished for the day, is important to give yourself your time to be with family, friends and recharge. You will be more productive in the long run.
