December 5th 2021
Many people may have never encountered remote working until the last few years. It’s clear now that remote working is here to stay, as it becomes the new normal both during the pandemic and likely after it too.
Working from home has become a way of life for many people across the globe, and there are many things you can do to ensure you’re being the most productive you can possibly be when in your most comfortable surroundings.
We’re going to outline 8 things you can do to really maximise your time at home, and how your surroundings, interactions and equipment can play an important part in it.
1. Designate Your Workspace
When working from home, it can be easy to set up your laptop at your kitchen table and go from there. This can be detrimental, however, as little distractions can take you away from your work.
We suggest creating a dedicated space where you go to do your work. Having an office room already is a huge bonus, but if you don’t, you can tell your family or roommates that you’ll be needing a certain room for the rest of the working day and base yourself there. This not only helps you to focus, but it allows you to associate that particular space with your work, thus reducing possible distractions.
We also suggest investing in durable and comfortable office furniture, if possible. It’s amazing what an ergonomic chair can do for your posture, especially if you’re working up to 8 hours a day in it!
2. Invest in (or Request) the Right Tech
It would be impossible to work remotely without the ability to connect. Ensuring a fast internet connection will be key, as well as all relevant tech that you’ll need to do your tasks. Some of this tech can include:
- Laptop/Desktop Computer(s)
- Keyboard and Mouse
- Headphones, Microphone and Camera for meetings
- Additional Screens
- Speakers
You can invest in some great tech for your own set-up, or if you work in a larger company, you should be able to request all the tech you’ll be needing to do your job effectively. Good quality equipment can be found at some impressively low prices these days, and you can even take advantage of events such as Black Friday or Cyber Monday to secure yourself some tech bargains.
3. Stay Engaged with Your Team
There are a plethora of ways that people can communicate these days. Working from home will require you to be in constant contact with colleagues throughout the day. This helps to build and maintain rapport between the team, as well as provide the social aspect that you may be missing out on by not being in the office.
Platforms such as email, WhatsApp, Google Teams, Slack and other instant messengers are readily available for you to use to keep in touch with everyone. You can even suggest that your team jumps into a live meeting throughout the day to update on progress. This will help to keep everyone’s spirits up as they tackle their workload.
4. Clear Communication
In a similar vein to the point above, it’s vital that you have clear lines of communication when working remotely. You have to keep in mind that you’re unable to simply walk over to a colleagues’ desk and ask them a question.
Set out clear communication guidelines that your team should follow, establishing tasks for the day in a morning kick-off meeting, and touching base after lunchtime. Always ensure that everyone knows their role and responsibilities for each day. Ask team members to notify when they are away from their desk and do the same yourself. This will help to deter any friction caused by miscommunication when everyone is working in different locations.
5. Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for help!
When working remotely, it may seem more of a hassle to get in touch with a co-worker and ask for their assistance with something. You could worry about sending an email asking for help and feel like a nuisance. When working from home, it’s quite the opposite! You’re unable to ask a colleague for help from across the office, so if you’re really struggling, always reach out.
You could send an email, ping them a message on an instant messenger or WhatsApp, or even call them directly for help with your query. Working remotely always requires fluid and open discussion, as it is typically a little harder than working in an office. Never feel like you can’t ask for help.
6. Define Your Working Style
When you’re working at home, you’ll typically have no one to rely on but yourself to get your work done. You’ll need to define how you work each day, which should become second nature after a while.
It may sound a little old fashioned, but a to-do list really does go a long way, especially when working from home! Set out clear objectives for the day and get through them steadily. How are you going to prioritise your tasks? Biggest first, or the small tasks first? Are you more of a collaborator, who prefers to work closely with a colleague? Defining how you work will be vital to working remotely.
7. Selfcare – Use Your Breaks Wisely
Working at home doesn’t mean you must sit at your desk all day. You should always make time to enjoy being at home too. When you take your lunch break, take the full hour. You could take short breaks throughout the day to refresh your mind and keep you alert.
Go for a walk to clear your head or run a few errands. Visit a family member or spend time with your family at home for short periods. No one is expecting you to be on call for every minute of the working day. As long as you are on top of your work tasks, make sure to spend some time looking after yourself too.
8. Make the Most of Being Remote
Lastly, make the most of it. You’re at home, in your most comfortable place. You are in familiar surroundings, with no daily commute to worry about, giving you some extra time in bed in the morning! You’re close to your friends or family, who you can spend time with on your lunch, and you can even pop to the gym during a short break if you wish.
It may sound cheesy, but really do cherish the time you have at home, because before you know it, you may be needed back in the office full time, or required to start hybrid working.
There are so many things you can do to really streamline your work and situation when working remotely, and we hope you take something positive away from what we’ve discussed here.
If you have employees who are working from home currently, and are looking to upgrade your office space for when they return, head over and take a look at our serviced offices and our managed office spaces to find the ideal new space for your business.
