Working From Home Effectively

The COVID-19 pandemic has forever changed how we work. Even after this nightmare is over, which I am hoping is very soon, it has forever changed how we collaborate with each other.

My desk setup

I have been predominantly working from home for the last 10 years and have been a huge proponent of it because of 2 main reasons :

• Avoid wasting hours commuting. While this may not necessarily be the case for most people, and I envy those who have a short commute to work, people living in Bangalore, India, will surely agree to this. You may be living 5 kms away from work and you may still be spending upwards of an hour commuting because of the traffic. And if it rained it gets exponentially worse.
• Choose my own work schedule. I am not a very productive individual and can be easily distracted, especially with anything tech or gadgets. Some days I am more focused in the morning while other days I am more focused at night. Even when I am focused, there are times when I want to spend my energy on learning or reading rather than my actual work. So for me, I find that it works best that I am able to control and choose what time of the day I will spend on billable work.

How to be more effective at Home

Most people who haven’t ever, and even some who have, worked from home, don’t like it or think that it doesn’t work. There are, however, a few things you can do to be more effective.

1. Build a home-office. Although the idea of working from your couch sounds very relaxing, it is anything but that. When you have to work for extended periods of time, good posture is really important to avoid a lot of health issues. It also helps a lot with your productivity. Invest in a good desk setup including a good comfortable chair. It helps to have a dedicated space as your home-office, even if that’s just a corner in your bedroom.
2. Follow a schedule. One of the biggest issues of working from home is that it can become even more difficult to maintain a work-life balance. One way to work around this is by following a schedule and keeping track of your time.
3. Take a bath. It’s important you maintain your personal hygiene. Don’t miss out on those amazing ideas you get in the shower just because you’re at home.
4. Exercise. The extra time you are saving by not commuting doesn’t do you any good if you’re sitting on your ass the whole day. Add some form of exercise in your daily routine for a healthy lifestyle. A healthy body harbors a healthy and efficient mind.
5. Take a break every 30 minutes. This might seem counter-intuitive, but, it helps a lot with your productivity. Get up from your desk, walk around, drink water, talk to your family members / room mates, share a dad joke, have a laugh and then get back to work.
6. Take time off. While it might not seem necessary because working from home tends to be less stressful, I feel it’s still important to break from the routine from time to time.
7. Upskilling / Side Projects. Since you save a lot of time by working from home. You should use some portion of that time learning and improving your skills and/or work on side projects. I believe this has a significant impact on our quality of life.

Conclusion

While working from home has a few down sides, it can improve your quality of life. You have more time for yourself, your family, friends, pets, etc. If one practices a little discipline one can make sure they are maintaining a good, healthy work-life balance.