Working from home seems like the dream lifestyle. You get up, grab a coffee and go to your desk. You don’t have to worry about that commute every day, fretting over whether your bus or train is going to be late. If you’re looking for something to eat, you can quickly go to the kitchen and grab something and, if you need a break, there’s no one watching over you to make you feel guilty.
Remote working has become more popular in recent years. The global pandemic had obvious implications, but people striking out on their own in the business world and many companies realizing they can cut costs has also contributed. Working from home isn’t always the ideal lifestyle that people imagined, and it can come with its own host of problems. By following these five tips, you will make it less stressful and learn to take care of yourself while still being productive.
Eat and Drink Properly
When working from home, you might not have a designated time where you go to lunch or for a coffee break, so you are more likely to forget to eat and drink plenty of water. If you find you are doing this, you need to find ways to ensure that you do eat. If you’re not eating, you will not be as productive as your body and mind will tire far quicker. Having snacks beside you will keep you fueled to make it through your to-do list.
Purchasing a Korean snack subscription box is a great solution to getting yummy foods delivered to your door each month. They are full of the tastiest, most delicious Korean snacks and candy. You can get the standard or premium box to suit your needs – you’ll most likely upgrade to the premium option in time anyway, as you’ll love the variety of foods that you’ll get to enjoy whilst working from home.
Take Breaks
You probably do take breaks, but what are you doing during your breaks? Are you sitting in the same space? Or are you moving to another part of your home, but still thinking about the project you were just doing? If either is the case, then you are not really taking a break, you just think you are. If you are going to take a proper break, you need to remove yourself from where you were working and clear your mind.
Getting up, making yourself a drink, and sitting outside for ten minutes to take your focus and attention away from deadlines will make you more productive when you get back to your desk. If that’s not working, you might find going for a short walk is more effective for you. Whichever you decide, you must take breaks that are removing you from the working environment, however briefly. It’s easy to forget that your home and job have now blended into one and separating them is difficult.
Set Up a Designated Work Area
The need to separate work from home might seem a strange suggestion given that you work from home, but it is absolutely essential. If you do not, it could begin to adversely affect your mental health and leave you constantly thinking about your to-do list when you should be taking time for yourself. Creating a modern home office, even if that means just an area within another room, is essential for productivity as well since outside distractions will be minimal.
Make sure your workspace is not your bed, either. You will begin to associate places in your home with your job and where you are supposed to rest is the worst possible place. Find somewhere that is away from your living space and set up your designated space there. You can also leave the things you use for work, such as laptops, in that place. This ensures that you don’t have constant reminders of your job during your downtime, like the weekends. If your entire home becomes your workspace, your job will become your constant focus, and you will find it hard, if not impossible, to relax when you are not on the clock.
Switch Off
Once work is over, it is over. The difference between having an office at home and working at a physical office is that the boundary becomes blurred. As much you may have hated the commute, it was a clear signifier that your day was over. It also provided you with clear visual recognition that things were happening outside of your office environment, and it is time to switch off. At home, this is not the case. You close your laptop and then maybe move a few feet away to somewhere else, but work is still close by.
There are many different ways you can help yourself switch off and finding one that is effective for you should be a priority. It might be worth considering taking a walk or a drive when you clock off to give yourself and your brain the recognition that the day is over and you no longer have to think about your to-do list. If you’re not switching off, your brain is going to be worn out by constantly thinking and worrying about deadlines. Never forget, just because you work from home, it does not mean that you are always at work.
Ask For Help
Working at home is usually a solitary activity. It can become lonely, especially if you are used to having people around you in an office environment. It’s easy to forget that you actually work for someone and not your computer and the software you’re using.
This disconnect can cause you to forget that you can and should ask for help if you need it. Despite the difference in location, you are still going to encounter problems and need access to someone who can help you solve them.
When you do encounter problems, use phone or email to get help as soon as you can to get you into the habit of reaching out. The longer you leave it, the less likely you are to ask, and it will affect the quality of your work and may lead to disciplinary issues.
