Tips for working from home

It can be a learning curve for some people working from home for the first time, but thankfully there are some straight-forward tips and tricks to maximise your productivity.

Maintain regular hours: The temptation to alter your schedule can be strong without a commute to the office but having clear guidelines and sticking to your normal schedule as much as possible will help you stay productive.

Schedule breaks and have lunch: Even when facing social distancing restrictions, it’s important to give yourself adequate time during the day to go for a walk, get some fresh air and get away from the phone and computer screen. There might not be any colleagues around to socialise with but try to avoid the temptation to cut your lunch break short. Take time for yourself to avoid burning out.

Keep a dedicated office space: Work-life balance is important in maintaining a healthy headspace. While it may not be possible for everyone to use a separate room, having a dedicated workspace can help you to ‘shut the door’ – leave your work behind and reset at the end of each workday.

Check-in with your team and be present in remote meetings: Working from home can be a lonely exercise. With the obvious disconnection and isolation involved, it’s crucial to check-in and have a chat with your team occasionally. A weekly catch up via video or audio to maintain connections between people you might have only seen or heard from while in the office.
Simply being present can make a big impact on feeling connected with your colleagues.

Ergonomic health: It’s important to ensure good workplace health and safety practices continue in the home office – even if you need to get a bit creative. Back and neck pain can be prevented by raising monitors up to eye level using whatever safe means are available to you, as well as using a separate mouse and keyboard if you are using a laptop or tablet device.