Working from Home: Tips for Beginners

In light of recent events, many of us are working from home because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

In the beginning, it might be hard to set up a routine you’re happy with so I’ve written a few tips to get you settled into your new work from home schedule whilst maintaining your productivity.

Set up your Work from Home space

Create a quiet, comfortable environment where you can focus.

1. Peace & Quiet: Find a quiet part of your home to create your work from home space. If possible, pick a space that is not associated with leisure time to help your brain to understand a work-life balance and dedicate a specific room or area in your home to work.
2. Get comfortable: Invest in an ergonomic chair. The worst part of a desk job is sitting in a bad chair, all day, 5 days a week. As a result, this damages your body and ruins your posture! The chair needs to make you comfortable in whichever positions you are in through the day, so it’s important to consider those positions before you buy.

Create a Work from Home routine

1. Pretend you are going to the office: Set your alarm just as you would for your normal commute. Set up a morning routine such as breakfast, make a coffee, catch up with colleagues and wear nice clothes. It’s tempting to stay in your pyjamas, yes I know.
2. Take clear breaks: I cannot stress enough, how important breaks are. In the office we stretch our legs and take breaks all the time, so make sure you’re doing the same at home. And, get away from your desk especially during your lunch break.
3. Stay hydrated: This sounds very simple but it’s easy to forget, ensure you’re drinking enough water.

Productivity

1. To Do Lists: Organise a daily to do list and check this off throughout the day. Having a check list will help you focus on your daily tasks and you’ll feel super satisfied when everything is ticked off!
2. Daily goals: Visualise your goals for the day or week on post it notes to help you gage your progress throughout the week. It’ll be easier to see if you’re behind (or ahead) on your tasks and you’ll find it easier to manage yourself.
3. Team meetings: Introduce more team comms where possible, such as daily meetings for 5–10 minutes to ensure everyone is up to date with their tasks and to check if anyone needs help.
4. Headphones with a good microphone: This speaks for itself, nothing ruins meetings like a participant with a dodgy mic. If you’re unable to hear someone properly it ruins the meeting and reduces productivity, so don’t let it be you!
5. Soundtrack your day: Make sure you have a lot of music to play during your working day. You might also find it useful to match your music to your mood or the task your completing.

Socialising

Keep a check on health and wellbeing: It’s important to check in on your colleagues and socialise, especially during this work from home period. Play games online with colleagues to break up your day and host video calls to replace the after work events you would normally enjoy. Whether it’s a Slack channel to post memes, music and pet pics or an end of day one-hour video call to talk about anything non-work related. A coffee break or lunch hangout via video conferencing, all of these interactions throughout the week can keep you all feeling connected. 💕

Originally published at http://iamthewomaninstem.wordpress.com on April 5, 2020.