The coronavirus has changed almost every individual facet of how we live our daily lives. But for many people, the most obvious change is working from home.
While many of us dreamed of rolling out of bed in our pajamas to take a five-minute stroll (er, commute) to work (a.k.a. the laptop), the reality of working from home is…not quite as peachy as it seemed at first blush. Not because working from home is less effective than office work, but rather because most of us are not accustomed to managing our workday within our own homes.
Whether you’re homebound with the pandemic or freshly working from home for other reasons, here are a few critical tips to help you become a master work-from-home professional.
Establish Structure
For many, the biggest adjustment in working from home lies in structure–or rather, the lack thereof.
In an office, the structure is imposed on you, both directly and indirectly. You get up to go to work at the same time, you complete certain tasks at certain times, you eat lunch at the same time, you get dragged into meetings and phone calls.
Even if your day doesn’t progress with the rigidity of a military drill, your daily structure is carved out for you simply by the nature of available time. You may grab lunch, for example, at any time in the middle of the day when you’re not bouncing between meetings and projects. Plus, your manager lurking in the periphery is a powerful motivator.
At home, you’re your own manager, and you don’t have the push of other people working around you. Without structure, you can quickly burn out and lose focus. The best way to counteract this is to impose structure as if you’re going to the office. Schedule your time religiously–and abide by your schedule.
Take Breaks
And speaking of scheduling, carving out your own calendar means you can (and should) budget your time for breaks.
In the U.K., we’re currently allowed out for one exercise session per day–take advantage of it. Exercise is one of the healthiest ways to relieve stress, getting your blood moving and releasing endorphins that boost your mood.
Plus, it gets you a short but essential look at the world outside your own four walls, which is essential for counteracting cabin fever.
Equally important are lunch breaks. Whatever lunch breaks you took at the office, schedule them in at home.
And if you didn’t take lunch breaks at work, no time like the present! Taking a break (especially a lunch break) is vital for boosting your concentration. It gives your brain a chance to reset, refresh, and return to your projects with fresh eyes.
Establish Communication
If you’re on your own, communication with the outside world is essential to keeping your sanity. Even if you’re not alone, communication with someone other than your roommates/significant other/children/relatives is still essential.
Even outside of pandemic times, remote work lives and dies by the power of communication. Think about it: in an office, you can pop down the hall to ask your boss a question, or spark a random conversation in the break room, or just say hello in the hall.
At home, the only communication you have is the communication you initiate.