7 Tips To Help You Work From Home The Right Way

It’s day 36237 of social distancing and we’re all getting a little frustrated and bored. It’s not easy to focus on work with all the distractions we have at home. For some of you, this is the first time you’ve ever worked from home.

It is important to distinguish between home and work mode. Working from home can blur the lines between personal and professional. Arguably, one of the best perks about working from home can also be your biggest obstacle or challenge - slowly getting up from bed to the sofa five minutes before you start your work day.

So, we thought we would make it easier for you. Here are 7 tips to help you stay focused when working from home.

1. Create a schedule

First and foremost, you need to set a schedule, and stick to it….at least most of the time. Setting regular hours will keep you focused and on track, helping you maintain a healthy work-life balance. If you work a little here and there, you could end up stretching your 8 hour work day into 10 hours leaving your mind scattered. Make sure you have a schedule that will let you get your work done in a timely manner.

2. Daily routine

Just because you’re working from home, you shouldn’t use this as an excuse to stay in your pj’s all day. This will make it harder for you to flip the switch from home to work mode. Don’t forget, it’s meant to be a normal work day – just not at the office – so it is important to set a daily routine. Brush your teeth, shower, get dressed, have your cup of coffee. A routine can be more powerful than following a clock to get you started every day.

3. Plan, plan, plan

In order to stay organized, make a to do list. A list is extremely helpful because it’s a tangible reminder of what you need to get done before your distractions interfere. Write everything down and watch it happen. Use our note taking pads for all your lists. Planning will definitely help you stay focused on your daily tasks.

4. Create your own work space

If you don’t have an office space or extra room you can make into an office, dedicate a spot that is isolated from everyone. Choose a location that can be yours and make that your dedicated space.

Also, another way to separate work from home, is to dedicate certain peripherals only for work use. For example, if your laptop is hooked to a monitor or external devices this means its work mode. When it’s on your lap, its personal time.

5. Minimize distractions – set boundaries!

No matter how good you are at sticking to the schedule you’ve set, there will inevitably be distractions when you work at home. That’s why it is important to have your own work space. Distractions are particularly important to people who have kids. Working from home with kids is no joke. That’s why is it important for you to set schedules for your kids too, so that they know that everyone has something they must do at certain times

6. Overcommunicate

A good way to start and end your work day would be to ask your manager if you could have a 10 minute phone call at the start and end of the day to wrap things up.

Working from home means that you don’t have the luxury of bumping into your coworkers or manager at work, so communication becomes key. This means that you need to write and speak much more than what you normally would so you don’t miss out on anything. Write. Everything. Down

7. Take breaks

Taking breaks is extremely important. You might be worried that people might think you’re slacking off but taking breaks will help you be more successful and maximize efficiency. Try to take your break at the same times throughout the day to help add order to your work day.

You can use apps such as Smart Break for Windows, or TimeOut for Mac, to lock yourself out of your computer for 60 minutes.

Stay safe everyone and don’t forget to wash your hands.