Listen, we live in an age where working from home has become fairly standard. But, for many employees and their businesses, the issues we are facing across the globe right now during COVID-19 are causing a few disruptions in everyday work-life.
For those of us not used to regularly working from home, you may feel a bit lost. That’s OK! New things take time, and we are here to help you get your home office all set up and ready to go with these 5 tips.
- Don’t Change-Up Your Routine: Trust us, we get it. Your alarm goes off, you realize you don’t have to fight traffic to commute to the office and you think: “Hey, I can just snooze for a bit longer.” We are here to tell you, “DON’T DO IT!”. You don’t want to get out of your routine for a few reasons. One being that our brain needs to be able to differentiate between professional and personal time. So, with that being said, wake up when your alarm goes off, make that coffee you love so much, shower, gel your hair, and put on pants. Yes, we said it. Put. On. Pants. No leggings were hurt in the making of this article*.
- Know Your Own Schedule: Are you the employee who chats with everyone over their first cup of coffee or do you find yourself more eager to get into conversation as the day begins to fade away? We all know when we work best. Some of us are more productive in the morning versus the afternoon, and that’s OK! If you feel like you don’t start getting into the groove until after your lunch break, use your morning to sort through your emails make a to-do list, and answer colleague questions before settling into your bigger projects. Save your most difficult tasks for when you know you have the most energy, even when you’re at home.
- Establish Your Space: Don’t mistake your bed for a couch. Perhaps in the late afternoon, after finishing up your projects and more intense tasks, you’ll find yourself answering emails while catching up on Love Is Blind from your living room, but you shouldn’t start your morning this way. Create a work station for yourself and stick to it. It’s how you’ll be able to train your brain to know: “this is where I work, and this is where I play.”
- Take Breaks: It’s so easy to just sit in front of your work all day when there are zero distractions around, but it’s important for your mental well-being that you take a break. Walk to your kitchen, grab a snack, take the dog on a walk. Do whatever you need to do to get your mind clear and refreshed for your next task at hand.
- Don’t Go Without Face-to-Face Interactions: Humans are social creatures, we need interaction. We also have an easier time finishing tasks when we are able to get answers on the spot instead of waiting to hear back on that email we sent before lunch. Create video meetings for you and your team so you can keep in touch while also keeping your own sanity.
We don’t know how long working from home will be a regular activity for us, but we do know that this time is teaching us important skills that we will be able to utilize for the rest of our working lives, and for that we are grateful.
From all of us at Pinnacle Advertising, be safe and stay healthy!