With the unknown glooming over us, we are preparing ourselves to work from home, ensuring we remain productive without people around to keep us accountable, as well as making sure we’re all set up and ready to go!
If you’re preparing yourself to start working from home, make sure you have everything you need prior to commencing. This means; have your computer set up with all files/emails/folders accessible so you don’t waste time doing this on day one of working from home – which will cause you frustration and angst... on day one!
If you wake up early every morning and exercise, meditate, watch tv etc… keep doing that! It’s important to stay in routine, to keep you in a work mode frame of mind.
Have a designated space, free of clutter and distractions. It’s important you set yourself up a space that can help keep you motivated and wanting to work, not a space that has hazards, disruptions, non-related work items and anything that could cause un-motivation.
If you don’t need your phone for work related tasks, turn it off! If you have a television in your designated space, don’t turn it on until you’ve finished your workday. If you live with anyone else, let them know that you’ll be working and not to disturb you (unless there’s an emergency of course!). Think about it like this, if you don’t need your phone, tv or mum during your normal workday, there’s no difference if you’re working from home.
Okay… so this is a hard one for me. My comfiest attire are fresh, clean pjs. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t (and can’t) wear pjs to work – so why would I wear them working from home? It’s important that I get up, have a shower, get dressed (appropriately – you don’t need to go overboard with your fanciest business attire) and prepare for your workday like you would normally.
Every hour, stand up, have a stretch, walk outside or get a glass of water. It’s important to keep your body moving and mind active.
If you’re like so many people I know, you’ve probably been stocking up on two-minute-noodles and packet mac and cheese (hehe guilty). I have so many regrets doing this. It was so unnecessary. It’s important to try and fuel our bodies with the right foods to keep our bodies and minds healthy. If you don’t normally snack, try and avoid it at home. Nothing screams unproductive more than eating chocolate for days.
If you are normally surrounding by people at work, stay in touch with them, and the less emails the better! Phone calls, video calls, chat channels – so many options. We’re doing a daily 9am video conference to gear up for the working from home day. Let your team know what you’re currently working on and vice versa. This will keep you all accountable to continuing to hit your KPI’s. If your workload is getting low, communicating this with colleagues may benefit you by them giving you work to do if their workloads are heavier!
Towards the end of each day, set a task list for the next day. This will help you determine if you need to reach out to a colleague/manager/boss if you don’t have a heavy task or project list, but will also keep you motivated the next morning to start your work day, knowing you have plenty of work to get through.
If your workday normally finishes at 5:00pm, stick to the finish time, log off and shut off from your workday. This is important considering you are mixing work and your home life. It’s important for your mental health (especially if you can’t leave the house) that you have time out before bed to do the normal activities you normally would. Don’t be tempted to check your emails, they will still be there in the morning. Once your workday is finished, leave work behind!
I hope these tips help keep you productive and motivated during this time. If you’re struggling with motivation from home, reach out to us! We are always here to help and support small businesses and freelancers. We are all in this together.
Written by Marketing Executive Abbey Ross at Harby Studios.
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