In these Coronavirus times, a lot of companies are taking precautions against spreading the virus, if you’ve been traveling or if you’re experiencing any flu like-symptoms (fever, cough, drowsiness), the best thing to do is to quarantine yourself in your home for at least two weeks.
For people that have the opportunity to work from home, being quarantined in your home means you can still get work done and don’t have to take out any holidays or sick days. Working from home is a luxury and not everyone has that option. And even if you have the option it might be hard to find your focus and be productive when there are everyday household chores distracting you in the corner of your eye.
However, since the Coronavirus is now declared a global pandemic you might soon not have a choice but to work from home, and to help you ease into it we have some helpful tips.
Create a separate workspace
A lot of freelancers and remote workers, who are used to working from home or other places, like to set up their laptops at a café or similar. But since the point of the coronavirus crisis is to stay away from people and not spread the germs that cause COVID-19, you will have to make do with your apartment or house. If you already have a study or an office space intended for work in your house, you are all set.
If you don’t, however, it would be a good idea to create a separate space in your home where you can focus on work. This could be at your kitchen table or even on the sofa. Ideally, you want to stay away from the bedroom since this is the place we mostly associate with sleep and relaxation. It’s important that you choose a place where you can find your focus and not get distracted every 10 minutes.
Make sure you are comfortable
This is a point that relates to creating a workspace. It is very important that you are comfortable when working from home since your surroundings are not as accommodated to working.
People with desk jobs are often stuck sitting down during many hours of the day but at the office, you might have a good desk chair or even a standing desk, that improves the ergonomic aspects.
Investing in a good chair to have at home could be something to consider but if you don’t have this opportunity, make sure to get up and do some stretches every now and then.
Establish a routine
To be able to work from home you need to have some discipline, it is easy to get distracted and maybe get lost a bit too long scrolling through Instagram. However, with a routine in place, it’s easier to get into the habit of working from home.
A routine can include you starting the day at the same time every morning and having a lunch break and other smaller breaks at the same time. It is also important to try to get some fresh air at some point. Take a 10-minute break on the terrace, balcony or just by a window.
This is also a great opportunity to read up on time management and how you can implement that to your day.
Get dressed
Working from home means you are free to wear whatever you want since no one is going to see or judge you. It can be total freedom to just lounge around in your pyjamas all day and not worry about dressing up. But after a while, you will start to realize that putting on real clothes will help your productivity. Being dressed for sleep will make it harder for your brain to focus on work.
So, make sure to keep your morning routine – get up, eat breakfast, brush your teeth and get dressed. You don’t have to wear your best suit but make sure to at least get out of your pyjamas.
Make a playlist
Some people need absolute quiet to be able to focus and get work done. Others prefer a nice playlist to accompany them during the day. This is a great opportunity to create a new playlist with songs you like. It can be a list of upbeat songs that will make you get into the mood to tick of the tasks on your to-do list, or maybe a list of classical music to help you focus and be more productive. The choice is yours!
Don’t forget to communicate
One of the biggest downsides with working from home is that it can be very isolating. You go from working around people and being able to socialize every day to being all alone in your home. Which can be a big change for many. There are, however, many ways to stay connected with colleagues, for example via chat programs like Slack where you can keep up the communication all day.
You can even book in meetings with video chat so that you can see your co-workers and go over important topics.
Simple ways to avoid the coronavirus:
- Make sure to wash your hands with soap often and thoroughly
- Sneeze and cough in the corner of your arm
- Avoid touching your eyes, mouth, and nose with unwashed hands
- Use a tissue for handles when opening doors
- Stay away from large crowds
- Stay home if you are feeling sick
