Now that you have made the decision to work from home, here are some tips to help you successfully transition to a home office:
1. Set up your workspace:
Instead of working anywhere in your home, you must have a designated workspace where you can do so. Your workspace may be a room or an empty area with a door for privacy and a window for light. You should choose a quiet place because it would be improper to be on a call with a client when there are distracting noises in the background.
Make sure that everyone knows that it's your dedicated workspace.
Additionally, you'll need a table, a comfortable chair (to keep your back from becoming sore from sitting for so long), and additional lighting, such as a ring light that brightens the space, particularly when you're on a video chat.
You'll also need the following in your workspace:
- A monitor and Keyboard (if you can afford one)
- A printer
- A laptop
- A headset with noise cancellation to reduce background noise and enhance sound quality.
- additionally, a hands-free call receiver.
2. Software Requirements:
You will also need some applications or software to simplify and streamline your workflow.
A cloud-based drive like Google Drive is an example of one such application. With it, you may save your files electronically and share them with your teammates.
Slack is another example of a productivity app. You and your teammates can communicate internally using Slack. Slack lets you chat, share files, watch videos, and more. Slack also supports screen share through the ‘huddle’ feature.
Depending on the kind of service you provide, remote workers may also use additional software/applications. We have covered some of these apps in depth in our tech support training course.
3. Set Up Your Daily Routine:
You must set specific work hours for yourself.
It involves creating a daily routine for when you wake up, shower, and get ready for work which aids in preparing your mind for work.
When you start work daily, your break, and so on, are all included in the activities you need to schedule. Also, you need to schedule Zoom sessions and other meetings with your coworkers.
Make sure your family knows your schedule and respects it.
Avoid becoming a workaholic by not mixing your personal and professional lives. Also, avoid working when you should be spending time with your family.
Keep your teammates informed of your work schedule and break times so they know when to contact you or not.
Working from home requires breaks, so schedule them carefully. Don’t assume you can work all day because you work from home.
- A 30-minute 'lunch break' gives you time to leave your desk, focus on something else, spend time outside your work area, and eat.
- A 10 minutes break after every 50 minutes at your desk will allow you to stretch and refocus.
DO NOT FORGET TO EAT.
Working from home allows you some flexibility, but it also allows you to get carried away. A life-saving hack is to pre-planning your meals. And have it ready before you resume work.
If you like to snack, have a healthy snack at your table. And always keep water on hand so you can take quick water breaks to stay hydrated.
Have an end-of-day routine too. It would be a good time to quickly re-access the day's work and then create a to-do list of tasks you need to sort out the next day. Complete your top five tasks by 11 a.m. so you have time to deal with other duties that may arise during the day!
Finally, have your inbox empty and your workstation organized before you call it a day.