Working from home on a permanent basis? Time to make some permanent adjustments…

Remote working has always been an attractive benefit in the workplace but now with the effects of Covid-19, some people may need to make their temporary working from home arrangements more permanent.

This means, most of us are dealing with an unusual challenge of working from home for the first time, full-time! Even if you’ve done it before, working from home permanently can be a huge adjustment.

Therefore, we wanted to share some tips with you for the new way of living and working.

Create a workspace

Creating a workspace can be hard if you don’t have the room but it’s important to make adjustments.

Making a dedicated workspace will help you focus and separate work life and home life.

You also need to feel comfortable, sitting with a laptop on your lap and watching television may seem wonderful, but it can seriously hurt your posture!

Having the right equipment, desk and chair is also important – ask your company for advice, they will have policies in place which advise on a suitable working station.

Finally, add a few office touches along with your own personal touches – make it somewhere you will enjoy spending time!

Routine

Try to follow your normal routine – you’ve stopped commuting to the office but it’s important to keep your working day similar to the one you had.

Get up, get dressed, have breakfast – you could even use your commuting time to exercise, watch morning TV or something else you normally wouldn’t have time for.

Having a balance is key so try to stick to your normal working hours as much as possible. Once, your working day is over, break away and make a clear transition from your work to personal life.  A lot of us would use the commute back from work to transition from our work life to personal life – factor ten minutes or longer at the end of the day if you need this time.

Disruptions

There will always be disruptions but there are some small steps you can take to stay focused.

Having a workspace that works is the first step – somewhere you know you can be productive.

Shut the door if you have one – especially when you need to focus! If you haven’t got one, try to arrange your work area so that distractions aren’t in your line of view.

Also, don’t always see distractions as a bad thing.  In the office you’ll happily chat to colleagues as they pass by, so if you have children, partners or pets that pop into your workspace throughout the day – embrace it – you wouldn’t tell your teammates to go away so don’t feel pressured to usher people out of the room at home. 

Don’t put too much pressure on yourself – working from home gives you the luxury to be flexible and doesn’t mean you have to be chained to your screen all day to prove you’re working!

Staying motivated

Plan your day - use a traditional to do list to structure your working day. This will help you to stay on track and motivated. It’s also really satisfying to tick something off once you’ve done it.  We know some people love a ‘to-do’ pad and pen, however if you’re trying to go paperfree, you can use online tools to tick off your activities for the day. 

Keep things fun – don’t feel like you can’t have music on in the background or have banter with your colleagues online.

Take breaks – have regular breaks from the screen, walk around, make a coffee etc. You are at home, you could even peg the washing out, prepare dinner, catch up with a friend at lunch time or even pop to the local shop.

Stay in touch

Being home without your colleagues around you can feel lonely and some days you may feel isolated.

Stay in touch, schedule video calls with your team – it doesn’t always need to be about work, don’t be afraid to reach out.

Seeing a familiar face can make all the difference! Use platforms like zoom, skype and Microsoft teams!

Make it work for you

Above all, working from home is not for everyone but at a time when you have no other option – make it work for you! Don’t feel like you have to follow the norm, if you are getting things done and your employer is happy with you – success!