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Work from home

Suddenly Working at Home?

… protecting your productivity, your health, and your sanity

No matter where you live or work, the novel coronavirus means you've probably begun exploring the option of working from home instead of a centralized office. (In many cases, "option" is a gentle way of putting it.)

IDEALLY, your home office needs to have a view. Trees, birds, open sky—just something you find appealing so that when you raise your head from your screen to clear your mind, there's something there that you want to see.

Have an exercise and activity routine. Many studies have shown that simply getting up and moving a bit is incredibly positive for your health. When you can set up your office with everything you need and don't have to get up and find co-workers or go out for food, it’s easy to just go completely sedentary. Establish a routine to avoid that.

Have a default activity for when you need a break from work—something you shift to easily, without having to spend the time thinking about what you want to do.

In this fast-changing world, many of us are now working from home

Here are some great work-at-home tips and tricks: 

1. Get started early.

When working in an office, your morning commute can help you wake up and feel ready to work by the time you get to your desk. At home, however, the transition from your pillow to your computer can be much more jarring.

Believe it or not, one way to work from home productively is to dive into your to-do list as soon as you wake up and confirm what the priorities are over that first cup of coffee.

2. Pretend like you are going into the office.

The mental association you make between work and an office can make you more productive, and there's no reason that feeling should be lost when working from home.

3. Structure your day like you would in the office.

When working from home, you're your own personal manager. Without things like an in-person meeting schedule to break up your day, you can be quick to lose focus or burn out.

4. Choose a dedicated workspace.

Just because you're not working at an office doesn't mean you can't, well, have an office.

Rather than cooping yourself up in your room or on the couch -- spaces that are associated with leisure time -- dedicate a specific room or surface in your home to work.

5. Make it harder for yourself to mess around on social media.

Social media is designed to make it easy for you to open and browse quickly. At work, though, this convenience can be the detriment of your productivity.

6. Work when you're at your most productive.

Nobody sprints through their work from morning to evening -- your motivation will naturally ebb and flow throughout the day.

When you're working from home, however, it's all the more important to know when those ebbs and flows will take place and plan your schedule around it.

To capitalize on your most productive periods, save your harder tasks for when you know you'll be in the right headspace for them.

7. Save calls for the afternoon.

Save phone calls, meetings, and other collaborative work for when you've officially "woken up."

Take advantage of morning hours to crank through meaty projects without distractions and save any calls or virtual meetings for the afternoon. 

8. Focus on one thing at a time!

There's an expression out there that says, "if you want something done, ask a busy person."

The bizarre but true rule of productivity is that the busier you are, the more you'll actually do. It's like Newton's law of inertia: If you're in motion, you'll stay in motion. If you're at rest, you'll stay at rest. And busy people are in fast-enough motion that they have the momentum to complete anything that comes across their desk.

9. Plan out what you'll be working on ahead of time.

However, it's important to let your agenda change if you need it to, but it's equally as important to commit to an agenda that outlines every assignment before you begin.

Try solidifying your schedule the day before, making it feel more official when you wake up the next day to get started on it.

10. Use technology to stay connected.

Working from home might help you focus on your work in the short term, but it can also make you feel cut off the larger operation happening in the office.

Instant messaging and videoconferencing tools can make it easy to check in with co-workers and remind you how your work is contributing to the big picture.

11. Match your music to the task at hand.

During the week, music is the soundtrack to your career (cheesy, but admit it, it's true). And at work, the best playlists are diverse playlists -- you can listen to music that matches the energy of the project you're working on.

12. Communicate expectations with anyone who will be home with you.

Of course, you might be working from home but still have "company." Make sure any roommates, siblings, parents, spouses, and dogs (well, maybe not dogs) respect your space during work hours. Just because you're working from home doesn't mean you are at home.

13. Take clear breaks.

It can be so easy to get distracted as a telecommuter that you avoid breaks altogether. Don't let the guilt of working in the building you sleep in prevent you from taking five to relax.

Go for a small walk outside or spend some time with others who might also be in the house.

14. Interact with other humans.

Remember: You're working from home, not the moon. Interacting with other people during the day is allowed, even if they're not your co-workers. In fact, it's a good idea to see another face during the day when most of your workday is solitary.

15. Prepare your meals the night before.

Preparing food ahead of time ensures you can actually use your mealtimes to eat, and that you aren't performing non-work tasks that spend energy better used at your desk.

16. Pick a definitive finishing time each day.

You might be under the impression that working from home establishes more work-life balance but be careful with that assumption. Working from home can also feel like you have no timetable  -- you can get so caught up in your activity, in a relaxing environment, that you lose complete track of time.

Set an alarm at the end of the day to indicate your normal workday is coming to an end.

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