Working From Home Can Be Hard!

There’s a lot going on at the minute and the last thing you should be stressing about is how you’re going to get your work done remotely.

So take my tips and you can get back to worrying about global pandemics in no time!

Seriously though, there’s some stuff I know about working from home and getting it DONE.

Spot on!

Find a comfy spot. Sounds simple but balancing your laptop on your knees on the couch does not a workstation make. You’ll get cramps in your back and neck and probably a headache.  Also, after a while your couch will feel like work – ew. Keep them separate.

You don’t need a fancy room, the dining table or kitchen counter will do – but you need to be comfortable, with your keyboard, monitor and mouse setup as ergonomically as possible.

Maria-Jane Satterthwaite, Managing Director of Scope Vision explains her set-up:

“Setting up your space so that you want to ‘be there’ was the most important thing for me. I wanted to feel calm, yet energised. I chose to place my office in a room full of natural light, with windows and doors that open out into the garden; that way every day I look out upon nature, minimising distractions.”

Buffering…

Get a solid internet connection. I mean if you can stream you should be able to work…but you might want to consider using ethernet if you can.

This is going to be a big test for the NBN…

Time after time

Try and keep your regular work hours. Not only will this keep you from burning the midnight oil, but it’ll help you adjust to your WFH routine and set expectations of when your colleagues and clients can get in touch with you.

Celeste Mcguigan of Small Stalls agrees and adds:

“Stick to a set timeframe for work and set up your computer in a room that you can close the door on.”

Take regular breaks. You need to stretch, stand and move – just like when you’re in the office.

Good news is there’s no need to eat at your desk!

If you don’t have work to do, move away – you’re not watching the clock now as your workload has become more outcome based.

Rebecca Castano-Mander, Owner and Chief Formulator at COS Body adds:

“Create a to do list at the end of each day with what needs to be accomplished first, middle and by the end of the next day.”

Yes, you can fold that laundry while you’re on the phone. Sure – you can put dinner on while you wait for your files to download…but try to keep distractions to a minimum. You can’t watch Netflix at the office for a reason.

Reeva Cutting, owner of Cutting Edge Digital agrees and encourages you to be kind to yourself:

“Play to your strengths and don’t put so much pressure on yourself to accomplish XYZ by such and such a time, yes you’re going to be distracted, especially if you have kids around. Don’t expect to work with the same mindset as you would in an office, just like an office has distractions, so does your home – acknowledge them and go easy on yourself.”

Connectivity V Isolation

Stay connected. You have Slack, Skype, ZOOM, WhatsApp, Messenger Instagram DMs, Snapchat DMs, Facebook Groups and LinkedIn to stimulate your sense of connectivity.

Amanda Kendle, owner at Amanda Kendle Consulting says:

“Get an accountability buddy (or group) – someone you can message at the start and end of the day – and throughout if need be – to be accountable for the tasks you want to finish. It’s a real problem for me even after working from home for a decade!”

Choose who, how and when you’d like to be available, so you don’t start to feel isolated. If it becomes overwhelming mute your notifications.

To do before you have to do

To-do lists are essential when working from home. With distractions of the dogs, Netflix and well, when there’s sports to stream the day can go sideways pretty quick.

Adam Barrell, founder at So Media Group / So Perth says:

“When I know I will be working from home the next day I do a complete brain dump of everything that I need to get done the night before – this allows me to hit to the espresso machine in the morning and jump right on into getting work done.

No 30-45mins trying to jot down everything I can remember from the night before and then having to start off the day with no momentum”

Look after you

Practice self-care. Drink water, do your stretches, listen to your favourite music and eat healthy snacks.

Looking after yourself actually boosts your productivity.

These are my top 6 tips to nailing a WFH existence, I guess we really will find out which meetings could have been emails over the coming weeks.

Welcome to a new way of life – I hope you are embracing the change.