Elevate Your Home Office Experience
With These 3 Remote Working Tricks
It is becoming increasingly common to be able to work from home or remotely. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, this number has surged and many people who didn’t have the option before are working from home for the first time. Studies show working from home to be a game-changer for productivity and the environment, not to mention the next-level comfort of working in your pajama pants. Nevertheless, the transition can be jarring and it takes intention to create a great home office experience.
The Tållbeard team has worked with a remote-first policy from the beginning so that each person can design their working environment to suit their needs. Meetings like dailies are held in Microsoft Teams and even our design workshops are held remotely using Miro. In order to help you to stay productive and motivated in your home office, I’d like to share some tips from our years of remote work experience.
Stick to a Routine
When working in the home office, you win back the time spent commuting to and from the office, but it’s easy to fall into other time-wasting patterns, like scrolling through a social media timeline until the first meeting of the day.
I recommend establishing a daily routine to help start and end work mode. As nature and coffee lover, my morning begins with a short walk through the nearby park, then I prepare a cup of pour-over coffee before sitting down to work. I end the working day by checking off items from my to-do list and considering the big picture, asking what goals and progress I achieved today. Do what makes sense for you to get into the right mind frame for the workday and close in a way that will let you relax into the evening.
Takeaways:
- A routine before and after work helps to clearly distinguish between work and leisure.
- The morning and evening habits should remain the same to signal the brain that the work is starting or finished.
Create a Productive Working Environment
Studies show that plants in the office improve air quality and increase concentration. We know from color psychology that exposure to different colors can change a person’s mood. Blue, for example, strengthens concentration. Access to sunlight is another happiness-boosting factor to consider.
No matter what scientific findings are important to you, you should design your workplace in such a way that you feel comfortable and can work with concentration. Ergonomic desks and chairs in combination with the right posture also increase productivity. I’ve found that a good desk at the right height, combined with plants and inspiring images, supports my productivity throughout the day.
Takeaways:
- Provide your workplace with plants and design it so that you feel comfortable
- Ensure as much natural light as possible at your workplace
- Pay attention to ergonomic factors such as the correct seat and desk height
Mindfulness at Work
Working from home office has its advantages, but there are also drawbacks. You might briefly reach for your smartphone and check the social media feed or be distracted by housework. A relaxed playlist helps to jump into flow mode. If you keep being distracted, it helps to activate the sleep mode of the smartphone or not to place it within reach at all. To reduce distractions on the computer, you can use browser extensions that block websites such as Reddit or Twitter for a certain period of time.
Once you’ve conquered distractions, use mindfulness to make your workday even healthier, happier, and more productive. Studies show that meditation and mindfulness exercises can positively influence productivity throughout the day. It’s no secret that on average people work longer hours from home than in the office. Therefore it’s even more important to take regular breaks to recharge. I use the time between different tasks for a short walk in the fresh air or a little exercise in the apartment.
Takeaways:
- Notice distractions early and create habits to combat temptation.
- Put your phone in sleep mode or put it in another room when you need to concentrate.
- Use browser extensions to block sites like Twitter or Reddit during working hours.
- Meditation and mindfulness exercises can increase productivity.
- Take regular breaks in the fresh air or do something active at home to stay sharp.
Regardless of the global health situation, remote work has many advantages with the power to improve teamwork and independent work, now and in the future.Whether you’re only working from home in the short-term or remote work becomes the new normal for your team, I hope these remote work tips will help you to stay productive, motivated and physically and mentally healthy.
