Here Are 5 Tips To Help You Be More Efficient While Working From Home

Before COVID-19 changed our lives, working from home a few times a month was something most professionals did in order to maintain a healthy work-life balance. In the UK, we are in our fifth month of lockdown and many offices remain closed. The switch from the traditional working week to what seems like a semi-permanent state of home confinement has taken some getting used to.

In this post, Debz from Get Virtual Assistance, will be sharing some tips on adjusting to working remotely and how to make it work for you:

 

As a virtual assistant I have been working from home full time for a while now. I enjoy working from home more than I did office life, but it is very different and does take some getting used to. I really appreciate Kelle giving me the chance to talk to you all about remote working. I am going to share some tips on how to make working from home work for you.

In the early stages of lockdown, I know many people who worked from home for their employers. I predict that this is something that will continue for a while. I also think that many employees will adjust to home working and we will see an increase in the number of people remote working in the long-term. We might never go back to 9-5 life in the office again. Here are a few tips for success:

Stick To A Routine

When I tell people that I work from home, I often get comments about how great it must be to be able to work when I want, or take off days as I please. If you’re working for an employer from home, then the chances are your hours are picked for you. However, if you work for yourself you can set your own working hours. Being your own boss isn’t an excuse to get into poor work practices. Instead, try to stick to a routine as much as possible. Start work and finish work at a similar time each day. 

Sticking to a routine means that you’ll find the transition to working from home much easier and will help you to stay productive. Rather than staying up late and then struggling to get up in the morning, stay in the same mind-set you would usually have on a work day and make life easy for yourself.

Think About Your Work Space

If I could give you one piece of advice it would be not to work from home in bed with a laptop on your lap. Much like setting a routine, treat your whole set-up as a normal workday. Find a quiet place you can use, particularly if you live with people who may disturb you. Create your home office. Set up a desk, even if you’re using your laptop and invest in a comfortable chair. Also, don’t be afraid to make your workspace a little fun – get some cute stationery, put up some photos of loved ones and invest in the space you’ll be sitting at. The chances are you’ll be spending quite a bit of your time there, so make sure you enjoy that as much as possible. 

Set Some Goals

At the start of the day, try to set yourself some goals that you would like to achieve. This gives you something to aim for and helps give you a sense of achievement when you get these tasks ticked off. Even though you may have a line manager that you have to check in with, you will hold yourself accountable and get things done in a timely and efficient manner. Before you start your day, set the scene in a way that works for you. Some people write lists or make spreadsheets. Do what works best for you.

Remind Yourself of the Benefits

Working from home can be tough, especially when social interactions are so limited. It’s perfectly ok to miss the days when you could walk through the office and ask someone a question. However, there are lots of benefits to remote working! 

From my experiences, the biggest benefits are the fact that there isn’t a commute and you can make yourself better lunches. With no commute to work my working day is much shorter and I don’t have to spend a small fortune travelling to work. With access to a kitchen to cook in, I no longer have to make do with sandwiches or spend lots of money at the work canteen. Instead, I can rummage in my kitchen cupboards and have anything I want for lunch every day!

Don’t Get Lonely

When you’re working away on your own, not surrounded by your colleagues, it can get lonely. Make sure you stay aware of this and combat it before it takes hold. If you miss socialising with colleagues, then set up some video conferencing calls and catch up conversations to keep in touch, even if you can’t see them face to face. After work, go for a socially distanced walk with friends or a coffee at lunch time. Remember, your work day is much shorter than it was before, so if you feel comfortable going out, then going for a drink with a friend in the evening is definitely a perk you can take advantage of.

Working from home is great and definitely something I would like to continue doing. If you love working from home or are currently considering the long-term benefits of working from home post-lockdown, then refer to these tips and make working from home work for you. 

If you are working from home, how are your experiences so far? Do you miss office life? Or are you planning to go back to the office sometime soon? I love hearing from you all, so feel free to drop a comment below.

Debz blogs at Get Virtual Assistance and you can also find her on the following platforms:

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