YAP Global’s 5 productive ways to work from home!

While we’re all trying to ‘work from home’ during these unusual times, we thought we would share our advice on how we’ve productively been doing it at YAP Global.

Our team is made up of a group of international gals based in multiple cities — London, Berlin, Melbourne and now Belfast (where I am) — who, pre- coronavirus and social distancing times, have successfully worked remotely since YAP Global started in 2018.

And so, through a crafty process of trial and error, we have compiled our collective top tips for working from home!! (wooooo).

Continue reading to find out how you can power through too.

Structure your days even if you can’t leave the house

Your morning routine should set you up for a ‘working day’ as it would if you were heading to an office or co-working space minus the commute- more time for you in the morning so make the most of it!

While it is tempting to stay comfy when working from home (who doesn’t like wearing PJ’s all day), it does make it harder to draw the line between work and rest.

I’m not expecting my fellow ladies to put on a full red lip (although, you do you) it is important to dress presentably even for yourself. You’ll feel better. Trust me.

Also be strict with your hours — this means taking a break too. Get up, have a stretch, go for a walk outside if you need.

And, Samantha H. rightly points out that there is no gain in pushing through without a time-out, because your productivity will take a hit eventually and could come back to bite you.

Create a mini-office at home

Make it a project to set-up a permanent workspace with a comfortable chair, access to enough plug sockets, and positioned in a part of your home where you feel motivated to work your 8-or-so hour day.

Keep your workspace tidy and free from distractions. Have it stocked with your essentials such as a jug of water, your notebook and maybe a houseplant for some greenery.

It’s really essential to have a space that allows you to work productively. It will make it easier for you to get into your flow of work daily.

Managing healthy screen time

Part of your day should involve regular breaks from your screen to refocus your mind and increase the time you do spend in front of the screen productively.

Mira reminds us that when staring at a screen all day, your eyes are strained to focus, so it’s important you rest them regularly.

Do this by closing your laptop and reading a physical book or if you’re lucky enough to be near a window spend some time looking at the views outside to give those babies a break!

Not properly managing your screen time can also affect a good night’s sleep so it is important to set aside at least one hour between logging off work and going to bed.

The blue light from your computer screen affects your ability to wind down, as your body is tricked into thinking it’s still daylight! If you log off too late, you will struggle to switch your mind off and sleep. If you can, invest in some blue light blocker glasses! These will help reduce glare as you work, and protect your eyes from harmful blue light.

Apps are your friend, but not Instagram, Youtube or Houseparty…

There are a variety of different apps that can help you manage your time throughout your day. Samantha H recommends the Pomodoro Technique for balancing agency life as it helps you focus on your work in increments or ‘sprints’, protecting you from the emails, texts, phone calls and the fridge all crying for your attention.

Other apps like Todoist are also great for organising and prioritising your tasks. We also love Trello for the ability to visually see across everything our agency needs to achieve and maintaining a great workflow between timezones.

Daily check-in calls with your team are key

Check in with your colleagues by doing daily video calls if you can! We try to schedule these at times when we can have tea together, and use this time to refocus but also to chat about non-work related things too.

We’re *those* people experimenting with zoom backgrounds, and on occasion bringing pets in on video calls too.

It’s crucial we feel really connected to each other and nurture our relationships even from afar to feel supported and focused without a physical team around us.

We hope you’ve learned something useful from these tidbits, let us know in the comments how you’re getting on and share your advice too.

From a living room near you, thanks for reading!

Sophie and the YAP Global team x