Working from home in Lockdown 3
At this point, I don’t think any of us are strangers to our living room desks. Working from home has become virtually unheard of, to standard convention in under a year and with the latest news and updates from Government - We’re once again being asked to stay indoors. If you’re working from home, we thought we’d give you some tips to make sure that your work performance doesn’t suffer!
Get started early
When working in an office, your morning commute can help you wake up and feel ready to work by the time you get to your desk. At home, however, the transition from your pillow to your computer can be much more jarring.
Believe it or not, one way to work from home productively is to dive into your to-do list as soon as you wake up. Simply getting a project started first thing in the morning can be the key to making progress on it gradually throughout the day. Otherwise, you'll prolong breakfast and let the morning sluggishness wear away your motivation…
Pretend like you are going into the office
The mental association you make between work and an office can make you more productive, and there's no reason that feeling should be lost when staying home. When working from home, do all the things you'd do to prepare for an office role: Set your alarm, make (or go get) coffee, and wear nice clothes.
The crucial ingredient for unmonitored success is a state of mind, lets be honest… You’ve got the notepads, pens, laptops, monitors… nothing else has changed other than the environment - so act as if it hasn’t!
Choose a dedicated work space
Just because you're not working at an office doesn't mean you can't, well, have an office. Rather than cooping yourself up in your room or on the couch -- spaces that are associated with leisure time -- dedicate a specific room or surface in your home to work. Firstly, working on the sofa is unprofessional anyway - but committing a corner of the room to your professional efforts will greatly improve your perception of a work / life balance!
Get creative with your lunch break!
One of the biggest struggles you might face in lockdown, is the lack of variety of situations you find yourself in. Normally, a staff lunch break is your chance to relax, talk to colleagues and take your mind off work. We’d assume that the majority of our readers don’t stay at their desk during this time - So why should home working be any different?
Go out for a walk! Switch on the telly, the distinction between work and life is important… but just don’t get too comfortable on the sofa, you’ve still got the afternoon to get through!