If anything has come from the recent coronavirus situation it has been the ability of businesses to operate with staff working from home.
Some businesses were already setup to run remotely but many have had to spend considerable amounts of money getting the infrastructure in place.
But what about the staff? – How easy has it been for those not used to working from home. On the face of it, it sounds just perfect; Slide from your bed in the morning straight to your make shift desk!
The reality is somewhat different. Being at home you have many more distractions. The sofa being one of them. The TV, children / other people and then theres the fridge!
To overcome all these, you need to apply a few common sense rules. So, you can really make your day productive and focussed.
- Distinguish between home and work. Try and setup an area which is yours for work and make everyone know this.
- Get up and get dressed for work. Doing Zoom or Skype video conferences in your pyjamas isn’t the best. Smart Casual should suffice.
- Be realistic with what you can achieve. Set achievable goals. You’ll feel much better achieving what you set out to do than the frustration of falling short on something that in reality, you wouldn’t have even completed in the office.
- Work in bursts! I can vouch for this and it’s a practice I employ all the time. Work in bite size chunks. I tend to work in 45 – 60 minute sections. I find it much easier to stay focussed for that period and achieve what I set out to do. I take a small 5 – 10 minute break and figuratively speaking, I get back on the horse!
- Take regular breaks. Proper ones! Take a lunch break. Make a snack. Get away from your screen and emails. It will do you the world of good. You’ll come back ready to face your next chunk of work.
As a regular home worker, I’m often asked what I find is the best way to get a decent days work done. To be honest it’s a combination of all the above. But everyone is different. I don’t listen to the radio or the TV, I like the quiet. But many others I speak to enjoy the background hubris that provides. Again, like all things in life – There’s no cap size that fits everyone. Especially in the current climate. The distractions of children and other family members at home make it a completely different ball game. Finding your way through it will be an individual process but applying some of the tips above will certainly help.
Best of luck.
Martyn – Sky Social Media Team.
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