In the office, we all face challenges to remain focused due to various interruptions. However, with more people working from home due to COVID-19, it’s easy to become your own worst enemy when it comes to distractions.
With that in mind, we gathered some tips for all our friends who are finding that working at home is becoming the new normal.
Keep an attitude like you are going into the office.
When working from home, do all the things you’d do if you were going in. Have a schedule and stick to it. Set your alarm, make your coffee, and wear nice clothes. Do all the little things you do to get in the right mindset for work. It also helps to have a dedicated office space that you use specifically for that purpose.
Be flexible, but maintain regular hours
It might not be 9 to 5, but you should figure out a work window and try to stick to it. One of the benefits of remote work is flexibility, and sometimes you need to start early to accommodate someone else’s time zone or you may have children at home that need your attention. People all have different needs and responsibilities, so you’ll want to be respectful of others’ time as well.
If you are working from home with kids in tow, you’ll need to make a plan for education and entertainment. Stock up on books and puzzles. Also, don’t beat yourself up for using streaming services (Common Sense Media has good recommendations for kid-appropriate content).
Make sure you have the bandwidth.
With so much work travel being canceled right now, video conferencing is becoming a standard practice. To ensure a smooth meeting without glitches, make sure you have a good internet connection with enough speed (around 3Mbps)
If your connection is really choppy, you can often shut off the video portion of a call and participate with audio only. You won’t be able to see who you are talking to, but maybe that’s a good thing.
Use technology to stay connected.
Working from home can also make you feel cut off from what’s happening in daily operations. Instant messaging and videoconferencing tools can make it easy to check in with coworkers and remind you how your work is just as important as everyone else.
Get out, get out!
With restrictions easing, it may be time to get out of the house, provided you can maintain social distancing of course. At least get up and stretch. Your body needs to move. If you can get outside, the fresh air and natural light will do you good.
And when all else fails, you can always comfort yourself with thoughts from a dog: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/work-from-home-tweets-coronavirus_l_5e6fe32ac5b60fb69ddc53ef
