If there’s one thing 2020 has thought us, it’s to get used to working at home. But this new habit isn’t that pleasing to every employee. Concentration problems, kids asking a hundred questions standing at your desk, lack of working space, and connecting issues during Zoom meetings. We have all been there these past few months. We will give you some tips and tricks to create a better working environment at home and be as efficient as possible.
1. Keep in touch
Remember this: You’re not the only one with these problems! Family, friends, and co-workers. They will all recognize the perplexity of the closed doors of their workplaces. Talk with your colleagues about your daily issues. Noticing that you are not alone feeling this pent-up will get you through the days easier than before. You can still have that usual opening of the day, those sociable coffee breaks, and your confirmation to those difficult working questions. Pick up that phone, start that Zoom meeting and keep in touch!
2. Create your own perfect schedule
To draw up a workable schedule for each and every day will prevent you from a lot of unnecessarily stressed feelings. Make sure to create a calm opening of the day, a point by point to-do-list, and a clear ending off working time. Just like you were working at the office. Don’t forget your well-deserved breaks! Especially the point by point list is one to remember. Fill in the things you need to do for this specific day, with the expected time required for each part of the schedule, and make sure you won’t be put in a situation where you’ll have a lack of time.
3. Step outside for a minute
Take the distance from your work, literally and figurately. Go for a walk during your lunch break to reset your mind and body. This will cause a certain calmness in your routine. These walks will improve your concentration and efficiency. Besides, it’s good for your own mental and physical health. When working from a home with relatives or children, you could bring them as well. Make sure you can totally clear your mind by thinking and talking about something else.
4. Alternate workplaces
Most of us won’t have a perfect workplace at home. Therefore it’s best to create several workplaces you can rotate between. Small adjustments can be enough. A different chair, table, or room. By rotating between places, problems like serious back pains can be reduced. Also, by switching the brain will have a short break too. Therefore, this is double effective.
5. Clean desk, clean mind
To give yourself the needed rest in the evening, make sure you tidy up your workplace by the end of your workday. ‘Don’t take your work home’. Currently, we don’t have a choice on this one, but what we CAN do is keeping ourselves to the usual working hours. Don’t work longer than you usually do, only because you are already home. Five o’clock is five o’clock right? You need your rest, so take care of yourself and keep yourself to the schedule you’ve set up for the day.
We all have to work in the situation as it is right now. And for what we can predict, it won’t be much different in 2021. So let’s help each other out.
Share your tips and tricks. Good luck to all of you.
