With businesses facing temporary closure over the last few months, millions of employees across the country have been required to work from home. For many, this has been an unusual but novelty experience that they have never experienced previously, and, knowing how to remain motivated and productive can be difficult if you have only ever been used to working in an office environment.
If you have been given the formal notification that youโre going to be working from home for the foreseeable futureโdonโt panic! This post will provide you with a number of helpful hints on how you can work from home successfully during lockdown.
Dress as though youโre going to the office
Style during lockdown may not be at the top of your agenda, so you may feel tempted to simply stay in your pajamas all day as you work. Psychologists, however, believe this should be avoided. Dressing in smart clothing just as you would for the office helps kickstart your brain and allows you to stay motivated. The key message here is to get dressed in the morning and carry out the same routines as you would on a regular workday. In doing so, you wonโt feel much different about the situation and this should hopefully allow you to stay on task throughout the day.
Stick to a routine
Your employer may allow you to have flexible working hours while in lockdown to fit around your commitments, however, always ensure you have a strict routine in place to prevent you from working around the clock. Giving yourself a rough routine will make your day much more bearable as you know exactly what is going to be happening from one hour to the next. During the time usually spent commuting in the morning, start the day off by either having a breath of fresh air or making a nutritious breakfast.
Find an office space
If youโre set to be working from home for months on end, sitting at your kitchen table to complete your work wouldnโt be an advisable option. Youโll find it difficult to concentrate while surrounded by so many distractions, which may also impact your productivity. If you have a spare room, aim to convert it into a temporary home office. I made a home office nook in my bedroom! If you simply havenโt got enough space in your home, you can achieve home working in this garden office.
Stay organized so you can ‘leave work’
Itโs important youโre able to differentiate between work and leisure time for your own sanity, so when your day has come to an end, ensure youโre able to switch off. Make sure you jot all your work things down in one place like The Slope, so at the end of the day you can walk away from work and focus on family and home life. You could even go for a walk or a run to clear your mind of work stresses, which ultimately replaces the time you would usually spend on your daily commute home from work.
Concentrate on your relationships
Working from home is a novelty, but being with your family all day every day in such unique circumstances can cause havoc. As expected, this can be additional stress, which may interfere with your heavy workload. Itโs important to give each other space and talk through any worries with your loved ones so that they understand what you need in order to stay on task during this period.
