For every working person the routine mostly involved getting ready for work, packing lunch, and commuting to work in peak hour traffic. Earlier, the concept of ‘Work from home’ existed in the periphery, it was mostly viewed as an option that was suitable for less serious career tracks where growth aspirations were limited, but nowadays the whole world is working remotely whether it is CEO or CTOs. Online video meetings and collaborating over Google docs became very normal. Also, the concept of WFH became mainstream. For technologies giants such as Facebook, Google, and Amazon, also to smaller organizations across the globe, almost all employees work from home.
Even if most of us have done it before, working from home because of coronavirus might feel like a whole new world. It is probably sudden and might be for an extended period of time rather than a day here and there. You are not alone; your whole company is involved. you can not necessarily socialize in person outside of work.
These tips will help you make sure that you are successful at getting the work done and at excelling in your career.
1. Get Well Dressed
It might seem unnecessary, but it is crucial. The comfortable loose clothes a person usually wears at home makes the person slower to start and less productive overall. The person doing work from home does not need to dress as formally as office dress but the simple act of changing clothes serves as a signal that it is time to wake up and get things done.
Don’t underestimate the power of putting on clothes suitable for public viewing. It makes you feel human confident and helps draw the line between being at work and being at home. Getting dressed also applies to other appearance-based tasks. Waking up and taking care of the appearance can go a long way toward helping the person feel like he is taking care of himself.
Besides, just because the person is working from home does not mean that no one from work will see you. It is 2022 and we are all about to have a lot of video meetings.
2. Designate a Workspace or Home Office
One of the big challenges when it comes to working remotely is keeping the work and home lives separate. If the person is not fully disconnected from work, the work productivity will suffer and the home life can take a hit as well. For the person going into an office each day the separation between work and home is physical.
The person also needs to try to recreate it as much as possible with a designated physical workspace at home. It can be a separate room for a home. It does not have to be its own complete room, it can be a corner but it should feel as separate from the rest of the home as possible.
Try to make your workspace comfortable with a chair to sit in for eight hours a day and a few decorations. Find an area with good natural lighting if at all possible.
3. Keep Clearly Defined Working Hours
Just as designate and separate physical workspace is important, similarly there should be clear working hours. You should get the best work done and be most ready to transition back to the office if the person is sticking with the regular hours. Plus, if the role is collaborative, being on the same schedule as your co-workers makes everything much easier.
The biggest difference between working from home and working in the office is that the person is in charge of your environment and has to be treated like an employee. This means holding yourself accountable, but also recognizing when enough is enough, just as a good manager might. Do not extend the working hours of the work even if you are free at home.
4. Entertain Yourself with something you love
The morning routine not only gets the person to work from one physical location to another but it also gives the brain time to prepare for work. Maybe you usually read or listen to music on your commute. The person can do that at home. Or maybe you can spend some time with a pet or loved one. The person can even add in a workout preferably at home because of the new coronavirus, or spend some time on a hobby again, make sure it is appropriate given the health recommendations Give yourself something that will signal the end of work and serve as a buffer.
5. Never Get Too Sucked in by the News
Distraction is one of the big challenges facing people who work from home, especially people who are not used to it. Your home is right in front of you. That means that whatever you are usually thinking about getting home to after work is now with you. It is human to get distracted. But you need to be wary of how much you let yourself get distracted.
6. Communication is important
For the person not working from home the chances are there will be some bumps in the road if he has to suddenly go fully remote. The key to steering through these bumps is communication with the manager and direct reports. Either before making the switch as soon as you know it is happening, come up with a plan that lays out expectations for how often you should check in and how you will convey any changes or new assignments to one another.
Do the same with anyone you usually work collaboratively with throughout the day. If the person is only stuck with only text-based communication. Do not default to email if you would have spoken to a co-worker face-to-face while at the office. It might be best to check in with the boss and co-workers over the phone or through video chat. This will cut down on miscommunication and break up some of the social isolation that can come from working from home.
7. You must Socialize
Working from home means cutting off a lot of the casual social interactions used to have throughout the day that help you feel less lonely and break up the monotony of work. People forget they need to be around others because the small talk and random fire alarms that keep the days feeling unique and prevent that hamster-wheel feeling. It is also suggested to set aside time to talk to or catch up one-on-one with a co-worker.
Schedule morning video call kick-offs with the whole team to make space for that. These tips might help in boosting your career when you are working from home. With a positive mind keep enjoying your work at home.
