Working from home may be quite a challenge, but taking a step back and seeing how you can tweak your new work setting and daily life can lead to increased productivity, decreased stress and improved mental health.
Here are 10 tips to help you newbies acclimate to your new #wfh reality.
Disclaimer: while this list is not based on science, it is based on personal experience and it just might make sense for you. Pick and choose what may work for you and put the rest on the back burner for another day.
Tip #10: Mantra to live by: work hard and play hard. It just makes sense and it really works, especially in the work-from-home setting. While it’s tempting to switch the order, finding the discipline to work first and then play ends up being a win-win situation.
Tip #9: If you haven’t already, organize all of the things that you brought home from the office. Then organize your new home office space so that it’s efficient and not cumbersome. You’ll find it much easier to find those missing staples or paperclips when they’re where you’d expect them rather than hiding under a bunch of papers in the dark recesses of some pile of boxes.
Tip #8: Develop a routine rather than trying too hard to stick to your old one. We are creatures of habit and the sooner you create a work routine the sooner you’ll be able to tackle that pile of things to get done. Routines provide a general roadmap of how our day will typically unfold. The details of how the day will unfold can be created the night before or the morning of your new day. When creating your new routine, be realistic but also be creative. For instance, there’s nothing wrong starting your workday at 5a.m. and then peppering the day with breaks focusing on your family, a home project, a hobby, or your own physical health.
Tip #7: Identify what you must get done for the day and prioritize those items. If you can, identify the top priorities that you can realistically complete that day. If these are completed with time to spare, either get started on the next item or reward yourself with an extra long workout, coffee break, time with the kiddos, spouse or pet, home improvement project or whatever fancies you.
Tip #6: Structure your time, but leave room for flexibility; after all, life happens. This helps increase productivity, which, in turn, helps your mood. Some people like to set a timer and work or various things for specific periods. Others like to focus on one task, surfacing when there’s a natural break. Both approaches have pros and cons, what’s important is finding what works for you and getting your work done on time.
Tip #5: Enemy #1 to working at home is procrastination. This is probably one of the hardest things to beat, but armed with this list, you’ll be able to easily overcome the temptation. As hard as it is, you must find the determination to set aside the laundry and dishes, the non-work chats, social media and video distractions, the news (it will still be about COVID-19 when you surface for air) and especially that little voice that says, “Meh – I’ll do that tomorrow.” Put all of the distractions aside and focus on the work to be done. Before you know it, work momentum has you on a roll you’re actually getting things done faster than expected.
Tip #4: Speaking of laundry, while it’s nice to do your work wearing your bunny slippers and sweats, taking a shower and donning business casual attire helps set the mental attitude of attacking the day and accomplishing your work.
Tip #3: Show patience, kindness, and remember the role of forgiveness in life. These are trying times for everyone and if you find someone you work with a little snippy, don’t take it personally. Instead, be the bigger person and absorb the curtness and grumpiness that comes with new environments and corresponding demands. The person you’re talking to is probably, under normal circumstances, a pretty decent person, and since we’re far from normal these days, we need to give others a break. By not adding fuel to the fire, you’ll probably be calming the person and, who knows, maybe helping that person realize later on their own wrong against you.
If that person is decent enough to offer an apology, then grudges fall to the wayside, that person’s integrity stays in tact, and focus on the work to be done stays at the forefront. If there’s no apology, find a way to forgive; you’ll see that it’s cathartic, if not liberating. Seeking forgiveness and forgiving others are amazing tools that help maintain and deepen relationships.
Tip #2: Take the time to lean naturally to the sun, eat well, connect with others, and find a few things to be grateful for. While it’s important to be grateful for friends, family and even having to work from home because you are employed, the sky is the limit for things that can be on this list. For instance, taking each breath of air for free while others coming off of ventilators are facing bills for each breath they took is a great example of thinking outside the box.
Tip #1: Greet the world each morning with a positive attitude. A positive attitude is the engine that fuels many valuable, healthy qualities: confidence, optimism, energy, reliability, grounded perspective, sincerity, respect, happiness and good humor, to name a few. A positive attitude will bring a smile to you and those around you. Most important, attitudes, like viruses, are also contagious, and the question we face each morning is what kind of attitude we’ll be spreading that day.
Final thoughts: Science tells us that humans are the most adaptable of earth’s living creatures. Our current pandemic and humanity’s response is testament to this. What that means to the office worker is that we can adapt, and we can do so without interruption to our productivity and overall health.
