People in our industry are always exploring the ideas of remote working and bringing home comforts into the office. Now we find ourself in this extraordinary situation where people across the globe are either being advised or forced to work from home. And society is split between feelings of excitement (like a snow day has just been announced) and feelings of anxiety. So if this is your first experience of working from home for a long period of time, we have some ideas to help put your mind at ease or to help you stay productive. Here are 7 tips to help you work from home.
1. Structure your Day
Although the first few days may be a novelty where you can roll out of bed in your pyjamas at 8.55 and transition to the couch, soon enough you may miss the structure and routine. Keep your alarm set for worktime, and use the time you would usually spend commuting, as normal. Reflect, read a book, listen to music, do yoga, do a crossword, phone your mum, take the dog for a walk…
2. Emphasize Personal Interactions
Some people may think working from home is the dream. Others could feel disconnected and disengaged which could lead to lower productivity. As a manager, you may struggle to continue to lead your team virtually, but it is important to keep in contact with your whole team. Make it normal to regularly call each other instead of scheduling meetings and turn on your cameras so you can see who you’re talking to.
“I know a lot of people hate talking on the phone, but guess what? You work in your home. You may not get a ton of interaction. Socializing is important to connect with clients, preventing feelings of isolation and having someone to talk to besides your dog.” Lindsay Anvik, keynote speaker and business coach.
Microsoft Teams – You can create team chats, change your profile photo for a stronger human link and jump on calls to keep up those real life interactions. We have just rolled out Microsoft Teams across our company in light of the current pandemic and we plan to keep this up once everything is back to normal.
