How to Organise Your Work from Home
The majority of companies, especially IT ones, switched to the ‘work-from-home’ format during the quarantine. Many of us are happy and used to remote work, but what about people who have never experienced that?
Work from home can be a challenge if this is your first remote project. Well, keep calm, and let’s learn how to be as productive at home as in the office!
And keep in mind that there are almost no impossible missions when you have the right approach to how to work from home! At Collabio Spaces, we are 100% sure about this! ;)
Does Remote Work Boost Productivity?
First, let’s find out which option is more preferable for both employees and business owners. Many people still believe that working in the office is better, cause:
- it helps people be more organised;
- it implies constant control of employees’ working hours;
- it keeps teams together;
- people can communicate with each other in person;
- everyone feels part of the team, the product or project.
However, all these things become less meaningful since digitalisation conquers the corporate world.
How Can Modern Statistics Comment on This?
- SHRM states that remote employees are 20–25% more productive than people who visit the office every day. At the same time, remote work from home saves businesses nearly $10K for each team member.
- According to Gallup’s research, the optimal engagement boost occurs when employees spend 60% to 80% of their time working off-site — or three to four days in a five-day workweek.
- International Workspace Groups’ survey found out that 85% of companies that had implemented flexible work locations became more productive.
- Smallbizgenius discovered that 75% of employees agree that remote work from home means fewer distractions at home than in the office.
All in all, remote work from home obviously means lower operating costs for the company. Everyone can benefit from this innovation and even more! Productivity will only increase if you use relevant tools and follow the best practices and learn how to work from home. We’ll tell you about the most effective ones!
Tip #1 — Adhere to Working Hours
Every successful work needs a schedule. And most companies that work remotely have such a rule. Usually, people prefer to start at 9–10 AM and finish their daily work at 5–6 PM.
Also, this will give you a feeling of real work. What’s more, having the beginning and the end of your working days will help you maintain a work-life balance. You’ll always know when to have a rest and when you should be online.
Nevertheless, you can keep your working hours flexible. For example, if you need to leave early, start at 7–8 AM or continue working in the late evening. This is the greatest benefit of remote work from home. You can manage your tasks and hours needed for them. Still, remember about distractions and try to focus only on working challenges at this time.
Tip #2 — Set Rules for Your Family
If you are the only resident of the apartment, scroll down to the next point. If you live together with family, friends, or rent your house with neighbors, they need to know when to not disturb you. Also, if you do some household things together or have pets, decide who and when will clean up after the cat or open the door to the pizza delivery when you’re working. Anyway, you can do everything yourself when you have a break — this is possible too.
If you know your best productive hours, warn your roommates about this. Someone will want to ask you something, and even a small question can harm your productivity.
If you have a separate room or corner to set your office space, do that. Anyway, this will drive more productivity than sitting with your laptop on the couch!
Tip #3 — Set Your Morning Rituals
Can’t you start the day without a cup of coffee? Keep your home office comfortable and do everything you need to be productive. This kind of morning routine rituals set the right mood for handling tasks. Some people prefer doing morning exercises or jogging in the street before doing their work. It’s up to you to decide. Still, this helps concentrate, finally wake up, and be ready to take new challenges! That’s how to get prepared to work from home!
Tip #4 — Don’t Forget to Make Breaks
On average, people in the US take one lunch hour and two small intermediary 15-minute breaks. IT specialists or those who look at the monitor all day long might have more small breaks.
And forget about your phone for a while. This is important for all office workers. Otherwise, your eyes won’t have a rest. It would be great if you could leave home for an hour or two, though this may be difficult in the quarantine time. Anyway, if you can go for a walk and breathe fresh air, do that.
If you want to keep track of how much time you dedicate to breaks, use relevant apps or just look at the clock. Pauses are crucial for productivity, so don’t discuss working issues during them.
Tip #5 — Ask for Necessary Equipment
No one will tell you how to work from home without necessary equipment. Companies should support their employees and supply them with laptops, monitors, keyboards, computers, software for them, etc. Companies set a separate budget for supplying remote employees with all these things.
Once again, if you find the equipment outdated, ask for a newer one. At least, this will move the needle even if they didn’t plan upgrades before.
Tip #6 — Keep Close While Being Distanced
Socialise with your colleagues unless loneliness fills your life! It’s a fact that people are social creatures, and it’s hard to stay alone for a long time, especially for extroverts. How is this issue solved by companies that work remotely?
First of all, HR managers and teams create chats for talking on various topics (not only working ones). Video meetings, webinars, online quizzes… All this keeps teams together and lets people get socialised even during the lockdown. The good news is that employees can choose how much activities they will be involved in. Extroverts take part almost in all of them, introverts limit their interactions to a comfortable level. The goal is to feel you’re included and connected.
A good relationship with the team is a perfect motivator that gives you an energy boost every day. To maintain this relationship, use corporate messengers like Slack, Zoom, MS Teams, or personal tools for communication — Skype, WhatsApp, and other messengers.
Keep in mind that writing messages is okay, but nothing can replace video calls in times of isolation.
Tip #7 — Continue Learning
It’s wonderful if the company takes care of your education and development. For example, some enterprises offer language courses, special skills training, and so on. Monitor interesting topics that might help you fulfill your working duties.
Ask your company leaders whether there is a budget for these activities. Since many offline professional conferences and summits are canceled, replace them with online ones!
Tip #8 — Don’t Overdo and Prioritise Tasks
Update plans every morning! Do all high-priority tasks first, when you are most productive. Next, continue with easier tasks. Don’t forget about the end of your working day. Super-responsible remote employees often lose track of time in pursuit of productivity. They forget that the day ended two hours ago, and they had not had lunch yet. Working efficiently doesn’t mean working too hard. If you want to spend less time to get more results, check out our article ‘Best Tips for Increasing Productivity’. Follow these best practices and skyrocket your success.
Tip #9 — End Your Day Correctly
Set sort of a wind-down routine just as you did it in the morning. Having a habit that will signalise about the end of the working day and the beginning of rest is crucial. Otherwise, you will be at risk to work till night without any pauses.
So, you can go for a walk with your pets or family members, check your personal messenger or socials, do some physical exercises.
Finally, it’s time to shut down your laptop or computer and give your eyes a well-deserved rest!
Tip #10 — Have a Positive Approach
If you like remote work from home and have a good mood when talking to your colleagues in Zoom, everything will be great. All in all, your intrinsic motivation is the strongest driver and no extrinsic motivational factors can replace it.
You might know the well-known advice — if you want to change something, change your attitude to this. This expression is true for the working routine as well. If you have never worked remotely before, consider this a chance to try your best in new conditions. When you see opportunities instead of limits, the results will surely skyrocket! ;)
