It has been over a year that most of us have been working from home. No more long and difficult commute hours and additional time for yourself and your family. However, working from home has not been smooth to some people. Here are helpful tips for effective work from home set-up.
Know when you work best
If you are working on flexible hours, make sure to find the best time you are productive and effective. Build your work schedule around that time so it won’t be a challenge for you every time. But for people who are required to log in on specific time, they aren’t really not
Firm working hours
This is one of the areas that is most difficult for people who have transition from office to home office work set-up. Since every one is at home home, people expect to hear from you any time of the day when they send out an email. So set boundaries early on. Let everyone at the office know that you are working on regular working hours. And even if you feel the urge to answer your email at the middle of the night, don’t. Setting up work boundaries will help you and your family get the time you need to spend with each other. At the other hand, let your family in on your working hours, and make it clear that you shouldn’t be disturbed unless it’s an emergency. That way you will not easily get distracted and also teaches them to respect work hours of other people.
Set up a home office
Having a home office or a corner where you do your work sets up your mood every time you sit there. It will switch on your work mode when you are sitting in that area and also allows your family to see that you are hard and pressed at work and you should not be bothered. Make sure your home office is quiet, well-lit and well-ventilated. A good home office ambience helps in getting you comfortable and getting the job for the done.
Get your work area organised
It has been over a year already of working from home and it is a long time to gather items around your workspace. If you work well in clean and organised workspace, make sure to go other the clutter that builds around your work area. If it does not belong on your work desk, remove it. Having a lot of items in you work desk or home office can distract you from your train of thought. An organised visual space also opens up your mind to the possibilities.
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Remove any distractions
Let’s face it, there are a lot of distractions at home. Although we’re doing our best to avoid being distracted, do you know that it takes almost 30 minutes to regain focus after getting distracted. Make sure to turn off any email or SMS notifications when you’re at work and remind your family that unless it’s an emergency you need undisrupted work hours. Getting your work tasks for the day gives you stress & guilt-free family time after your work hours. It is easier to clock out and block work emails during family time because you know that you have finished your tasks and work hours for the day.