Have you been told you can work from home but have doubts about it? I worked from home for 14 years and loved every minute of it. And before that, when the kids were young, I was able to work at home during the holidays and when they were sick and we all learned to get along and give each other space.
However, there are lots of people out there who are not happy about this prospect. There are a range of reasons for this doubt.
For example, some people:
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- with extroverted tendencies are worried they will have ‘cabin fever’
- who are addicted to TV, Streaming services and computer games may be worried that these will distract them
- who need direction in their work may worry that they will flounder and do a poor job
- with children are worried that they will not be able to work if the children have to stay at home too
- worry that they will not be able to access the computer systems they will need to work at home
- may worry that they cannot be professional while working from home……
And the list goes on……
I can tell you confidently that all of the potential problems listed above are easily overcome if you take a positive attitude and apply a few creative solutions! Here are 5 tips to help you set up your home office for what could turn out to be the way of the future for you!!
Tip# 1 Create a dedicated work space
This might seem like an obvious thing to do, but I can’t stress enough how important it is to have a space that is just for work and relatively free of distractions. Andrew and I share a study but we each have a desk, computer, good lighting, book shelves etc. This way we can settle into our own work even though we are only a few metres away from each other.
But if you can’t do that you can create your own space, even it is a corner of your lounge room or bedroom, cordon off the space (either mentally or physically) for WORK.
Here are some practical ideas that might help you achieve this:
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- If you are easily distracted, place your desk in a corner so you face the wall. Place a picture behind the computer that will keep you happy e.g. a forest or ocean etc. Or place a pot plant next to you – this can be calming.
- Use headphones to help you cut off from the world around you. I listen to instrumental music when I do this so there are no words to distract me. It really helps to get into the zone.
- Identify rooms or spaces in the house that are ‘ no go zones’ while you work e.g. the laundry, the TV room etc.
- If you really can’t work while the family (whoever that might be) are around you, try working at night and playing during the day. (You will probably need to get permission from your boss to do this but its worth a try!)
- Diffuse Essential Oils that will help you with focus and energy:
- Wild Orange and Lemon to wake you up,
- Rosemary for brain function or
- Motivate and Passion – blends that will help you focus
Tip #2 Sort out your tech!
This is so important and will make all the difference in terms of productivity and for your sanity. Even I, as an extreme introvert, acknowledge that over the years there have been times when I needed to talk to someone during the day when I was working. In the early days of working from home my business partner and I met at each other’s houses almost every week for a day of work.
In latter years there was less of those face to face meetings but we ‘met’ every day on Skype, sometimes up to 7-8 times in the day. We often worked on documents together, using Skype and Google docs. We delivered webinars to groups of clients using a webinar program and used conferencing programs to hold meetings with multiple people. There are many tech solutions out there for these purposes.
You can be professional and you can meet effectively with people from home. In my opinion, much time is saved by doing this, allowing you more time to just get on with your job!
Why not have an all in online meeting in the morning to kick off the day with your team and get to work from there.
Just a few other points about tech. If you have a laptop you will benefit from have a large screen set up too. I have two large screens in addition to my laptop and I could not work without them!
You can use your TV if you have an appropriate connecting cable but a dedicated monitor is a better solution.
I also have a standing desk so I can move around when I am working. You might also need some good headphones. I use wireless headphones and walk around the house when on calls – I get some exercise and it helps me think!!!
If you can’t access your work’s systems then ask your tech people to help you get connected. You may need a VPN (virtual private network) to be able to access what you need.
Google or Office 365 are also great for sharing access to documents including spreadsheets.
Just to finish off this Tip – staying connected is vitally important if work is your main social contact. This is true even if you are an introvert. If you are an extrovert then I am not telling you anything new here. At this time when the whole world is hearing constant messages of doom and gloom, we need to stay connected and make sure that our work colleagues are all OK.
Tip#3 Establish a routine that works for you!
Do you like routine and order or are you a bit chaotic in your approach to work and life? Think about your answer to this before you jump into designing a routine. If you usually drop children at school or you take others to work each morning, but find yourself not doing that for a while, then you might flounder a bit. When we lose the regular tasks and do not have anyone calling the shots for us each day we can become disoriented.
So I would suggest that you do a bit of self analysis before you plan your day. For example, when are you most engaged or distracted? Are you a morning or afternoon person? If you have lots of calls in the morning will that distract you for the rest of the day?
Personally, I like to get the calls out of the way in the morning so I can hunker down after that. Sometimes I lose focus around mid afternoon then find it again at 4-5 pm. This means that dinner is often late, but I get the job done!
If you just can’t settle during the day because the kids are there or other people are also working from home, try working out work shifts that suit you all.
Tip# 4 Make it an adventure
This is just about finding something to inspire you. It may be about taking time to learn a new skill, make deadlines early or enrol in a course. In my case, in recent years when business was a bit slow, my business partner and I wrote a book and published it. We had to learn about self publishing and Amazon books etc. We now have two editions out there and have learned a lot about using a book to market the business!!
What excites you? Is there something that you have been wanting to learn or do and have been putting it off? Make it your adventure for the next few weeks or months!
Tip #5 Take a break and reward yourself
In the early days of working from home you may feel guilty if you take a break during the day. This is not logical, but I know that some people feel that way, particularly if the boss is not a trusting one! But in reality you can achieve much more from home than you ever would in a busy office. No conversations around the photocopier, no gossip sessions at the coffee cart etc. So you should reward yourself throughout the day and take some time out.
At this time of the year I reward myself by sitting outside in the sun for 10 minutes or even working outside for a while. Making a coffee, walking round the block (if you can), hanging out the washing, choose an uplifting oil and refill your diffuser etc. are all quick things you can do to refresh your brain.
And then there is lunch time. Reward yourself for good work done. I often watch an episode of one of my favourite shows while eating my lunch or go for another short walk. If you are missing human contact, call a colleague and have a chat – keep an eye on the time though! If you get all your work done early, you could always go and have a swim at the beach.
What will you do to reward yourself?
A Final Note on Balancing your work with Kids Home from School
I know that not everyone will have children at home but I wanted to say a few words about this balancing act for those who do. Unless your children have grown up with you working from home they will need some training about interruptions, respecting space, taking breaks, learning how to help themselves to snacks and drinks and so on. Set up some ground rules and involve them in the process so the whole ‘work from home’ thing becomes an adventure for them.
There are lots of routines and ideas for homeschooling out there and many are circulating on social media so check them out and work out a routine that works for you.
Here are some ideas to get you going:
- Stay in your pyjamas all day if it works for you
- Sit around the dining table and work together if the kids need help getting into their work
- Watch a movie together in the afternoon
- Take a virtual tour of a museum
- Get them started on creative projects
- Ask them to cook dinner for you….
Remember, you do not have to stick to 9-5 routines for them and you don’t have to have the same breaks they would have at school.
We hope that you and your household will be able to find some positives out of the current situation and that you will be able to look back at this time as one where you learned some great lessons about working together!
What Next?
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Until next time,
Gillian (and Andrew)
