Posted: March 23, 2020
While more and more businesses were slowly adding remote work options as a result of changing societal attitudes and better technological options, COVID-19 effectively ramped up those efforts across the board. Whole cities are shutting down as offices close and request that workers complete their job duties from home.
If you’ve never worked remotely or from home before or are absolutely terrified of not interacting in person with another human being during your workday, Four Tens is here to help. As a 100% remote business, our team manages to coordinate internally and with our clients without meeting in person.
While we could say we are successful at working remotely just because we’re awesome, there are some key habits that make working from home successful. Some are more specific to working from home in general while others are important because of the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope you’ll find these tips useful during these unpredictable times:
Separate “Work” from “Home”
This is a more obvious tip but still worth sharing. While not everyone has the space in their home to dedicate an entire room or wing of their house to their work, even setting up a desk in the living area for your laptop and conference calls will psychologically build a barrier in your mind that recognizes that space as time for work. This also makes it easier to “commute” home when you aren’t traveling anywhere. Leaving your designated workspace at the end of the day will begin the switch in your brain out of work mode.
Create a Schedule
The last thing you want to do is treat working from home like a vacation. You won’t be productive, and your to-do list will keep getting longer and longer. If you used to head into work around 8:30am and leave the office at 5:30pm, keep that same routine. Make coffee, brush your teeth, read the news, whatever it takes to create the illusion of going to work without leaving the house. If you used to always order lunch at 12:30pm, keep that up or head to the kitchen to make lunch around that same time.
Share Your Calendar
When your tasks involve your co-workers or higher-ups, it can be helpful to have a shared calendar, so everyone can be aware of one another’s schedules. If you have a doctor’s appointment, need to pick up the kids from daycare or have an important call with a client, put everything in the calendar.
Change Out of Your Pajamas
As much as every stock photo would have you believe that we’re all working from home in our PJs and sweatpants every day, that’s simply not the case. Put on an outfit that puts you in the mindset to work. It may not be a three-piece suit, but it’s also probably not your onesie.
Break Up Your Screen Time (ex. Time Out)
When people first adjust to working from home, they find that without the random interruptions from co-workers to chat in person, they instead go hours sitting at their desk and staring at their computer screen. That’s not great for your eyeballs or your body! Either set an alarm, use a timer or a mental break app like Time Out for reminders to give your eyes a break and to get up and stretch. Your back will thank you.
Communicate Excessively
Go above and beyond what you think is necessary to communicate with co-workers and clients. Don’t be afraid to schedule phone calls, virtual conference meetings, or a time to connect on tools like Slack and Teams. Because you aren’t seeing co-workers or clients as often, the same visual reminders for tasks and meetings aren’t there. Doing your part to keep everyone on track and aware of changing situations is a great thing to do when working from home.
Take Mid-Day Breaks
If you’re able to, take a mid-shift break to walk the dog, interact with your kids, make a healthy lunch, or call a friend. Halfway through your day, take the time to give your brain and eyes a break, and to recharge and refuel with healthy food, converse with a friend, or give Sparky the walk he’s thrilled he gets in the middle of the day now that you aren’t in the office.
Make Time for Little Breaks Too
Check in with your coworkers and friends throughout the day just like you would normally take short mental breaks in the office to chat with a coworker or manager. Many organizations have chat tools like Slack, Teams, Skype, etc. Where you can ping a co-worker or friend for a short bit of socializing. Short breaks have been shown to keep morale and productivity up throughout the day.
Keep the Television Off
Don’t try to work with the television on in the background (unless that’s part of your job description). Trust us.
Use Soundscapes
Strategically use white noise to improve productivity or create a café soundscape. Many people like to work remotely because they can get stuff done in a coffee shop or café. If you’re stuck at home though, you can try to recreate the same auditory environment. There are coffee shop playlists on Apple Music and Spotify. There are white noise tools online that can create rainstorms, coffee shops, and other repetitive noises that can encourage deeper thinking and more productivity.
Practice Patience
Be patient when it comes to technical difficulties: we don’t all have IT teams in our home offices. Be understanding when it comes to teleconferences or conference calls with children, pets, and other interruptions. It will make it easier for everyone who is adjusting to working from home.
Cleanliness is Next to Productiveness
It goes without saying that you should keep a clean office space when you’re in an office. The same thing applies to a home office space. Keeping a clean desk and home does wonders for morale and motivation.
Strategically Accessorize
If you work from home frequently, don’t skimp on accessories that make it more comfortable:
- Cushioned mouse pad (to prevent wrist pain)
- Wrist pad for keyboards (to prevent wrist pain)
- Laptop stand (to prevent neck strain)
- External monitor (so that’s easier to perform certain tasks)
- Comfortable desk chair (to prevent back pain)
- Lap desk for laptop (to prevent neck strain and wrist pain)
- Adjustable standing desk (to prevent back pain and poor posture)
Aesthetic Value
If you can, add a little flair to your office space, similarly to how you would decorate a work office or cubicle space. A few ideas include:
- Succulents or faux plants
- Photos of friends and family or recent travels/vacations
- Wall calendars, whiteboards, cork boards
- Coordinating desk supplies
While some people love the freedom and flexibility that working from home can give, others prefer the face-to-face interactions that working in an office space can provide. The best thing that you can do, if your company is requesting that you work from home, is to design your schedule and set up to maximize your productivity and include the level of communication and socialization that benefits you.