Let’s face it. No matter how prepared we are; these are unprecedented times and adaptation is key! The newness of the whole Work-from-home situation has opened up more debates.
While Work-from-home is here for the long haul; here’s throwing some light on the dos and dont’s of working remotely to improve your productivity, maintain your focus, and make the transition easier; as it is the need of the hour and quite possibly the future of wo
- Do: Take a breath of fresh air!
Yes! Now that you’ve begun working remotely, your movements may be restricted to just the study table next to your bed or the kitchen that’s across the room you’re in. While that’s convenient, it’s always best to get outdoors for a natural burst of energy. If you have a dog, walk it. If you’re in the mood to go for a walk or a jog, sport those shoes and get going!
If those are not feasible options, cracking your window open or enjoying a cup of coffee on your patio is better than nothing. Cabin fever is real guys! So being able to stay in touch with nature and reminding yourself that the world is more than just the four walls you’re in, can make a positive difference to your overall mental, physical and emotional well-being.
- Don’t: Set unrealistic expectations for yourself.
While everyone stresses the need to be razor-focused while at home; it is important to acknowledge your energy levels and your willingness to perform tasks throughout the day. Introspection is key and with working from home; there can be times when the lines are blurred. On Thursday, you might have wanted to vacuum the house, do the cooking, read a book, submit your work assignment, schedule a zoom call with your friend, but you managed to barely get one of the many things you want to get done.
While these are challenging times, it’s not the time to get bogged down by having to super ace the work-home balance. Chop up your goal into tiny habits and maintain them consistently. Just start with one mini task at a time and accept not having done something! It’s okay. You always have tomorrow!
- Do: Know and let your house know of your schedule
This is probably easier said than done. Acknowledging healthy work boundaries while at home is a stellar way to perform efficiently with lesser loss of time. The best thing to do in this case is to stay organized and well prepared. If your housemates are your age and working from home as well, then it shouldn’t be too hard to carry on with your work.
But if your housemates are kids and older family members, it’s always best to structure their activities and keep them occupied if they’re kids and to keep your older family informed about your need to stay present and achieve your work targets will significantly improve the situation. All you have to trade is some conversation for lesser barging in between your meetings.
- Don’t: Indulge in 24/7 Screentime
An average working employee uses at least 12 hours of screen time, be it on his laptop or his phone; and that’s just for work. Once you’re off the clock, it can be unassumingly natural to switch to social media or Netflix which is the generation’s choice for passing time. However, all this screen time eventually does take a toll.
Pick up an old hobby or try something new like playing an instrument or learning to paint or read a few pages of that book you purchased. This not only opens you up to simple and diverse experiences, but it also calms the mind and prepares you for the following day. Taking care of yourself holistically, directly translates to doing well at your work.
- Do: Optimize your WFH setup
To continue to perform well at work, it is important to be equipped with all the essentials that facilitate doing so. Invest in a good desk setup and that includes a supportive chair and a desk to go with it along with sufficient light and ventilation. It’s also a good idea to find a space in your home adjacent to a window and a spot that provides you with a good network.
If loud music fits your bill, then play music out loud while you work. If working means staying hydrated all the time, make sure you’re equipped with a bottle of water. Alternatively, classical or lyric-less music has been found to increase productivity and elevate your mood; so that’s a tip worth trying.
- Don’t: Go down the Social Media rabbit hole.
We’ve been there. We’ve done that. A quick notification check and an hour has gone by. So what happens when there is a notification update every fifteen minutes?
Defining your task and timings are very important. Set up separate timings for breaks and timings to check up on your social media.
The best thing you can do is turn off your notifications and make sure to open your social media during the allotted time. Not only does this help with retaining your attention span, but it also translates to a higher volume of work that can be done by you. At least that’s what we try to do at VOIZ so take it from us, this really does work.
- Do: Set regular work hours and stick to them.
How is an ace remote worker different from a regular remote worker? His organization skills. It’s easy to lose track of time, when at home. We’ve always associated ‘home’ with enjoying and relaxing but with work added to the mix, what becomes of it?
Nothing beats a well-scheduled day. One of its biggest perks being that you might even finish your work earlier than you imagined! It helps your mind switch between work mode when it’s time to work and off-work mode when you’re done. If you struggle to set your timings, start by listing your tasks and creating practical timelines for the same. Watch yourself become a pro by simplifying your tasks and your timings thereby enjoying yourself fully when you’re off work and exercising 100% productivity while you’re at work.
- Don’t: Force yourself to work 9-5
Sure! This is precisely the foundation of working from an office. But when work is brought home, one of the biggest advantages you have is the freedom to shift your work hours based on your day and the tasks you have lined up.
So what if you’re a morning person, shift your working hours to the sunnier part of the day. And if you’re someone that’s nocturnal and functions better in the evenings or night, then that’s when you should start working. At VOIZ, agents work as per their preference which makes the entire process extremely flexible. Just make sure you give yourself some downtime after you exhaust your energy that you’ve spent being your most productive self.