During these unusual times, here are a few tips and tricks to help you have a productive and successful day working from home.
Keep your morning routine.
Continue to get up at your normal time, get ready, eat breakfast, etc. This will help get you mentally prepped to “head to work”.
Set up a dedicated workspace.
Do your best to mimic your current work conditions. A desk, supportive chair, monitors, etc. Try to make sure that if you can, keep your workspace outside of areas of relaxation in your home such as your bedroom or living room. Keeping that mental divide will help set your pace for remoting into the office. Be sure to communicate expectations of your work area to others in your home. Except your beloved fur babies – they are great co-workers!
Set your work schedule.
Once you and your supervisor have determined what your schedule will look like, only work within those hours. It is important to maintain a healthy work/life balance.
Take breaks.
When you are at work, you are not working 100% of the time. Take time to stretch every hour. Look out a window. If you can, get some fresh air! Exercise is a great activity for your total wellbeing. Just remember to take your breaks and lunch away from your computer.
Keep in frequent touch with your department.
With many telecommuting, it is easy to forget to connect with others. Say good morning (via Skype) as you normally would in person. Call to chat about projects. Department meetings or touchbases are easily set up using Skype or Zoom. There are many options to keep you connected with coworkers.
Over communicate.
Since you are working from home, it is harder for others to be aware of your plans, projects, location, and schedule. Consider opening up your calendar to others and keep your calendar updated with times you are available. Schedule your break times. Update your Skype status.
Put on some background noise.
Let’s be honest, in the office we are surrounded by background noise and conversations. It is probably weirder to work in silence. There are many music-streaming platforms are highly aware of the surge of work from home and have graciously put together some great playlists for our listening pleasure. If music isn’t your jam, you can turn on a podcast or put a show on for back ground noise.
Most importantly – remain positive!
As the mantra goes, this too shall pass!
Resources and Support:
Linkedin is offering a class on remote working. It has 16 sections with information ranging from time management, video conferencing, and how to use both Zoom and Skype.
For anyone who is working from home with children, here are some tips from CNBC to get you by.
by Stefanie Sproule, Administrative Services Project Manager
