Coronavirus pandemic has changed our lives. In the midst of the pandemic, many companies have made work from home compulsory. Many of us find it quite challenging to work from home and that too full time. Everything was so sudden, and it might last for an extended period of time.
Work from home is the new normal. But where do you feel most productive, in the office or at home? If you are finding it hard to work from home, below, we are providing some tips that will make your life easy.
Top 8 Working from Home Best Practices and Tips for 2021
1. Start Early
When working in an office, you start early; you wake up early, get ready, and reach the office. In the home, it’s quite difficult to transition from your comfortable bed to your computer. Start working early to avoid sitting until late at night.
Make a to-do list and start working on it as soon as you wake up. Start your project so that you can work on it and finish it in the set time. When you indulge in housework like making breakfast for yourself, cleaning dishes, etc. you get late. It’s best to wake up early and complete your important household tasks and start working on your office work.
2. Make a Schedule
You are your own boss when you are working from home. You might feel burn out as there are no in-person meetings, no colleagues. To avoid this, make a schedule and follow it. Break your work into segments and take regular breaks. Avoid using social media during office hours; this way, you will be able to complete your work on time.
3. Choose a Dedicated Workspace
Having a dedicated workspace makes a whole lot of difference. Don’t just sit on a couch and start working. Have a dedicated space; there should be a table to keep your laptop and a chair. Make sure there are no distractions like TV, mobile phone, etc. Entering your workspaces will make your mind ready to work, and when the work is done, it will help you to turn “off” at the end of the day. Don’t change your workspace throughout the day, when you go from chair to couch to bed; it becomes harder to separate your work from your home life.
4. Define Your Working Hours
Just like it is important to have a dedicated workspace, it is also crucial to have defined working hours. Your team should know when you are available and when not. If you want to get work done, it is important to have clearly defined working hours to help you transition back to the office when things come to normal. It would help to be on the same schedule as your coworkers to avoid any tendencies. Also, communicate with the people you are living with not to disturb you during your working hours. You can get in touch with them when you take breaks.
5. Keep Family and Work-Life Balance
When working from home, it’s important to have a family and work-life balance. When you are working on your own, it is easy to manage, but when you have kids at home, it becomes really difficult. You and your partner both should help each other in managing the house. Take turns to help kids with their homework and playtime. Most of the teams understand that family comes first and gives you some liberty. Make a proper plan to manage everything effectively’ don’t forget to take breaks in between to avoid fatigue.
6. Commit to Doing More
You have to commit to doing more. If you think a particular project will take 2 hours, it will take more. That’s the reason that you get done less than you set out to. When you make a list of projects you will be doing in a day, stop and take a look at the project list and analyze if they can indeed be done in the set time frame or do you need more time to complete them. There is no harm to admit that a project will take a bit longer. At the end of the day, you will be happy that you ticked off your task list.
7. Cultivate a Hobby
If you are a social person and finding it hard to adjust to the new normal, you must cultivate a hobby. If you find it hard to work on your hobby while working in the office, it’s a perfect time to do so. Keep some time exclusively for your hobby. It will give you mental peace and a sense of accomplishment.
8. Be Active
Also, it’s important to keep yourself physically active. If in your area, you are allowed to visit parks, you can do so. But you need not go outside to get active. There are plenty of exercise programs available on the internet free of cost. You can choose the type of workout you want to do and get started.
Final Words:
We all are working from home in the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s not easy to work from home every day. The majority of people feel bored while working from home. But it’s important to adjust to the changed circumstances and be productive. Avoid focusing on the negative news and use this time to improve your work and your family life. The tips provided above will surely help you in working from home.
COMMENTS