Working from home can provide a particular set of challenges that office life doesn’t. However, a home office offers a certain amount of freedom and comfort that a workplace environment might not. In addition to maintaining a routine, setting deadlines, and taking breaks, consider the following tips to stay efficient and productive while working remotely.
Create a Personal Workspace
“Coming in to work each morning” to your personalized workspace complete with family photos, leafy green plants, and your favorite office supplies may boost your mood, facilitate productivity, and foster a sense of calm. When working remotely, establishing your own personalized workspace is crucial. Consider the various elements of your office environment and choose which to implement in your home office. Perhaps you crave more natural light during the day or would benefit from playing classical music at a low volume. Make your remote workspace an inviting place to spend the day and you’ll be able to transition quickly into this new normal.
Commit to a Daily Routine
Determining how to kickstart each day will set the tone for your work period. For some of us, checking a daily calendar can help us enter a productive mindset. Others may benefit from reviewing a to-do list created the prior afternoon. Still, some might find that cleaning out an email inbox each morning sets the day on the right track. Set aside a few hours each afternoon to commit to larger, long-term projects, or break up the afternoon with a late lunch or short coffee break. Whatever your routine is, be sure to stick to it.
Focus on Collaboration and Communication
Working from home may contribute to feelings of isolation and distance. Remote employees may have a harder time connecting with office mates and find that group tasks take longer to complete without face-to-face interaction. If you’re part of a larger team, schedule frequent check-ins to ensure everyone stays up to date and committed to the task at hand. If a certain project is particularly challenging, reach out for help via telephone or video chat. It can be much easier to communicate this way instead of firing emails back and forth to no avail.
Don’t Skip Breaks
Employees in the office look forward to mid-morning coffee breaks, lunch with friends outside, or even an afternoon stroll around the block with a coworker. Working from home doesn’t afford these personal interactions, so it’s important to remain committed to self-care and interpersonal connection. Schedule a virtual lunch with your coworkers and set a timer each day to get up from the computer and take a ten-minute break. As much as you’d like to power through the morning’s activities or finish one more thing, step away and relax for a minute; your productivity and focus will likely increase upon returning.
Stick to Regular Working Hours
It can be tempting to squeeze in another half-hour at the end of the workday since you no longer need to commute, but it’s crucial to unplug at the completion of each day. It’s okay to occasionally spend a little more time working ahead or meeting a deadline, but try not to form a habit of it. We can’t predict the future of this pandemic and it’s important to avoid burnout while working remotely.
For the time being, we’re living in an altered reality, but humans are remarkably adaptable and have found ways to adjust, live, and even thrive in this new norm. EON provides essential office supplies to help make your work-from-home environment organized, efficient, and inspirational. Our delivery service can keep you stocked despite business closures. Contact us today to learn more.
