The sudden move of working at home in 2020 took many companies and employees by surprise. No one expected this temporary situation to crop up like it did, meaning that we were ill-prepared for it in many ways.
Yet, despite the initial difficulties that it caused, this method of remote working has turned out to be highly successful overall. A UK study asked 4,000 adults about working from home, with 68% of those who have recently started doing this are keen to continue working in the same way.
If you are hoping to make remote working a permanent part of your life too, the following are some of the ways of doing it well.
Set Up a Proper Home Office
One of the main obstacles encountered by people who first started working at home due to the lockdown was the lack of a suitable home office space. Many of them turned to social media to post amusing images of laptops balancing on their knees or of them trying to work in other awkward situations.
To work from home on a sustainable basis, it is essential that you have a home office that is fit for this purpose. This means that you need to have a proper desk and somewhere to store your documents. You should think about using a sit-stand desk especially if you suffer from cramps.
Working from home also gives you the opportunity to use a standing desk, which is a smart way to lose weight and boost your productivity during the day.
The location of your workspace is vital too. If this is to be a permanent set up then you will want it to be in a part of the house where you can work undisturbed and with a minimum of fuss at all times. Having easy access to fresh air and natural light is something else to take into consideration.
Change Your Attitude
As important as the location and items of your home office are, there is another change that is perhaps even more vital. This is the mental change that is needed. Anyone who has been going to work in an office for years may find it difficult to deal with this change on a permanent basis.
The key is in being more flexible. With the possibility of working in a different way from now on, you should keep an open mind in terms of your hours and your approach. You may find that there is a fairly simple change that gives you some big benefits in the long run.
A number of interesting mental benefits have been associated with working from home. Among them, 75% of people surveyed said that it could help them to lower stress levels and increase their productivity.
Stay in Touch
Perhaps the biggest fear of anyone thinking of working from home on a permanent basis is that of losing touch. It is easy to think that you will miss the daily contact with colleagues, as well as the other people that you meet each day when working away from home.
Yet, this is a question of changing your way of thinking, more than anything else. For example, with your colleagues, you could use video call technology to still see them as often as you need. Some remote workers make arrangements to visit the main office or some other meeting point regularly too.
It is also important to not let work take over the rest of your life. Having breaks that let you go outside and finishing at a reasonable time each day will help you to leave room in your life for meeting friends and doing other things.
Interesting Related Article: “How to Design Your Home Office?“