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Tips for Creating a Productive Home-Working Environment
Tips for creating a productive home-working environment
As a business we have always offered remote working days as we believe in a healthy work life balance for our team, however, pre March 2020 we had never contemplated our remote working would become weeks that turned into months so as per many other companies we had to evaluate our working practices and adapt. The first lockdown taught us creating a productive home working environment for the long term is extremely important for motivation, focus and overall health.
Privacy
Try and pick a quiet place with limited distractions when setting up your workspace. You are more likely to be productive in an office room rather than working from the sofa. Equally, it is better for you physically if you are working at a desk. By having a dedicated room to work in means you can have separation between your work life and your daily life which is an important distinction when working from home.
If you are still required to work from home after lockdown and fancy a change of scene why not seek out a communal workspace. This doesn’t have to be a formal workspace as many pub’s and cafes started to offer a desk for a day for a set cost.
Routine office structure
Getting started early is always a good plan, it is when you are most productive and means you can structure your day using your time wisely. If you leave your work until later, you can end up becoming lethargic and unproductive. Try setting a start and finish time for each day similar to your office working hours in order to get yourself into a pattern and to keep yourself motivated. If possible, stick to the same routine each day.
As well as a start and finish time it is also important to incorporate breaks throughout the day. Things like going for a walk, taking a set lunch break or reading a book all help you relax and allows you to recharge so you are ready to work again. Don’t let working from home put you off having sometime to stretch your legs or grab some food.
You may want to let other people at home know the structure for your day, so they hopefully don’t bother you as much while you are working.
Make a to do list
To structure your time perhaps write a small to do list of the things you have to accomplish by the end of the day and/or week. Planning out what you will be working on ahead of time allows you and your colleagues to see a clear structure for what you are doing and will be working on. It also means you are more likely to stay on task.
Social media distractions
Social media can be a big distraction, and even more so in a home working environment. Try to limit your time on social media to your breaks and when you have finished work. Being on social media can not only distract you but also can decrease your productivity and motivation. If you have to be on social media as part of your job, as hard as it is, try not to get distracted by non-work-related content.
Interact with your team
Working from home doesn’t mean working alone so if you need to make a call why not make it a video call, FaceTime, Zoom, Hangouts all make face to face interaction easy. Try to schedule a mid-morning and mid-afternoon meeting with your team for a catch up.
Key Health and Safety information
This is a simple check list of things to ensure you are working safely:
- Try and light up the room with natural light as much as possible
- You should always try and use good posture when sitting at a desk, to help you back and neck when looking at a computer screen
- To maintain good posture, make sure your computer screen and chair are at the right height for you.
- Break up long spells of work with breaks
- Get up and move, doing stretches, or going for a walk
- Give your eyes and break from the screen
For more detail go to https://www.hse.gov.uk/toolbox/workers/home.htm
Stay safe!
Team Affecto