Working from home is not for everyone. In fact there are many people for thrive on the structure and discipline of going to work in an office setting. The office environment does have its perks of a sense of community and comradery with other office mates. But there are also plenty of perks to working from home – comfortable slippers replace stuffy shoes, you don’t have to worry about long commutes to the office and the snacks are far better than the office vending machine.
But how does one go from working in a office to working from home in a way that is productive, efficient and effective in getting the job done, day in and day out.
Here are a few tips and strategies to help you transition from a working-in-the-office to a work-from-home environment.
#1 Find a comfortable space
Even if working from home is temporary you will be much more productive if you find a comfortable spot to spent your working hours. While lounging in bed in your pajamas might seem like a fantastic idea, by day 5 it is going to be counter-productive. You might experience a sense of lethargy and lack of motivation to do anything remotely related to work. Instead, find a good comfortable chair and a table that can double down as a desk. Designate that space as your ‘office zone’ where you go to get work done and make it know to everyone else in the household. This can quickly become your ‘work escape’ when you need to get away to get work done. There are many ergonomic chairs and desks in the market if that is an investment you want to make right now.
#2 Surround yourself with things that make you happy
Just because you are working from home doesn’t mean you cannot have your creature comforts around you. So go ahead and make yourself that cup of coffee with a frothier, get some fresh flowers in from the garden or even play some music while you are working. All these things can help you concentrate and get more accomplished in your day even if you are away from the office for an indefinite period of time.
#3 Make technology work for you
The main thing about working from home is the need for technology to be reliable and efficient. Having a reliable internet connection is high priority but also perhaps think about investing in or borrowing a bigger screen/monitor. Perhaps an external hard drive to backup work or even extra cloud storage to supplement. If you work for a company, chances are you have all the necessary setup required to be connected to the company internet/intranet. Make sure all your software is up to date and systems are secure to facilitate a smooth work-from-home transition. There are also many apps, websites and software to help you make the most of your time working at home, and they can all help you be more productive. Apps like Aasna which can be used as a project management tool or even a to-do list tracker, Trello to communicate among team member to assign and track tasks or even Slack to communicate via text messaging among co-workers and employees.
#4 Structure your day
This one may seem a little obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people think working from home successfully means sitting at the computer, hammering at the keyboard for hours at end. You don’t notice all the trips to the coffee machine (or water cooler) you make at the office or the small breaks you get every time a coworker stops by your desk. These all add up and help you continue your work in an efficient way. Just because you work from home doesn’t mean you let go of these small breaks in routine that are just as important to your productivity.
There are so many ways to structure your time – either block off chunks of time allocated for work or actually break down tasks and set a timer on your phone. Do whatever you need to so that your time is productive and effective and you actually do get work done. While you are at it, also schedule in some down time. Taking breaks during the day is not only good for the mind but also known to improve efficiency and could be a great way for you to ensure you get everything done if you find yourself procrastinating.
#5 Multi-task if it makes you more productive
Multitasks isn’t always a bad thing. The benefit to working from home is the ability and privilege to be a bit flexible in your routine. Perhaps that load of laundry does need to get done or the dog does need a quick walk around the park. Sometimes these things cannot be helped. Don’t beat yourself over it. If you can manage to multitask effectively there is nothing wrong in getting a few thing knocked off the to-do list at the same time. So go ahead and take a long lunch while reading that case study, or run that load of laundry while balancing that spreadsheet, you might find yourself more inspired to be productive when you steadily tackle that extensive to do list.
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