Working from home used to be the exception, but during the pandemic, it became the norm. Many people thought that this setup would be temporary, but even though the world is slowly returning to what used to be normal, many companies are still opting to stick with remote employees due to the many benefits for both the company and its workers.
For many people, working from home is the ideal situation. That being said, you may also find that you are struggling. If you need some tips for working from home, keep reading.
Get a desk
If you are only working from home for a short while, it may not be worth it to invest in a proper desk. You might simply want to work from your bed, your couch, or even your dining room table.
While this may be fine for a short-term solution, it’s not great if you will permanently be working from home. Having a desk will help you keep all of your work things together, and it will also help you be more productive. If you find that you struggle to sit down for long periods of time, you might even want to look into getting a standing desk. Have a look at the best standing desk in Australia to see if you think it can work for you.
Have a dedicated workspace
While investing in a desk is a good start, you should also try to create a space specifically for work. Being able to separate your work life from your personal life is important, but it can be incredibly hard to do when both your workspace and your living space are under the same roof. This is why you should try to create a clear division by having an area where you work and do nothing else.
Ideally, this would be a separate room, but if you don’t have the space for that, you can clear out a corner of your bedroom or living room and use that to work from. When your workday is over, leave that space and don’t return until it’s time to start working again.
Communicate
Communication is always important in all aspects of life, including work. When you are working from home, communication becomes even more important, since you may have less guidance than usual.
You will need to communicate with your employers, and you may also need to communicate with any employees you have if you are a superior. Because it’s easy to misunderstand someone when you aren’t having a face-to-face conversation with them, you should be clear in your communication. The five w’s of communication may help you.
You should also be sure to communicate your needs to others in your household. For example, if you have a meeting, you should politely ask them to be quiet and not bother you until you are done.
Have a routine
It’s easy to slip out of a routine when you work from home. You can easily hit the snooze button, knowing that you don’t have to be at the office at a certain time. Or you may take a longer lunch, and work later in the day to make up for the time.
While this sounds great, it’s not. You need routine more than ever when you are working from home because this is what will help you stay focused and productive. If you don’t have a set routine for the days you are working, you may constantly feel like your life is chaotic and you will never get used to working from home.
Minimize your distractions
People often struggle to focus when they are home. They may be distracted by their family and pets, or they may be tempted to watch TV or take a nap. When you are working in an office space, you don’t have these distractions, but at home, you might have to constantly battle them.
Try to minimize your distractions so that you can stay focused. Keep the door closed, and make sure that your phone is in another room. You might also want to consider getting noise-canceling headphones. For some more tips on staying focused, click here.
Get the right equipment
Most of us don’t have the same equipment at home that we do at an office. Of course, it’s unlikely that you ever will, since equipping your home office the way you would a commercial office is bound to cost a lot.
However, you may still want to invest in a few pieces of equipment that can make your life easier when working from home.
The first is a decent chair – if you sit on the wrong type of chair all day, you may start to suffer from problems like back pain. Depending on the work you do, you may also want to think about getting a printer.
Make changes as you go
Dealing with change is hard. You might want to immediately have the perfect work-from-home setup, but you need to remember that these things take time. It can take you weeks or even months to figure out a routine and setup that works for you.
Keep in mind that everyone functions differently, so you need to think about what you need when working remotely. If something isn’t working for you, then change it! And if that doesn’t work, change it again. Keep trying new things, and eventually, you will be able to comfortably and easily work from your home.
In conclusion
Working from home isn’t as easy as it sounds. In fact, it can be really hard. But it doesn’t have t be. While it may be an adjustment to get used to working remotely, there are plenty of things that you can do to make it easier for yourself.
And once you make these changes and find a setup and routine that work for you, you might even start to love working from the comfort of your own home, since there are so many benefits to it.
Interesting Related Article: “How To Work From Home (Now Your Kids Are Also Home)“