Working from Home Tips

With the spread of COVID-19 throughout the world many of us have now been tasked to work from home for the time being. We may have experience working from home for a day or two here in there due to a winter storm or another reason; however, it is an entirely different setting when you are working from home for an extended period of time. Below are some tips to keep sane and productive working from home.   

• Keep your routines. Try to get up and go to bed
  at the same time you normally did when working from the office. Yes, you no
  longer have the commute which you can use the time to exercise, make breakfast
  or help your children with their at-home schoolwork. Shower, shave and follow
  your morning and evening personal hygiene routines. This keeps our mind still
  aligned with our natural rhythms and prepared to tackle the day or in the
  evening prepared to sleep.  
• Get dressed! It may be tempting to work in
  sweatpants (or no pants) and an old tee shirt all day; but there is much to the
  saying in order to “play the part you need to feel the part”. You can forgo the
  suit but get in the routine of wearing an appropriate work outfit to get your
  mind and mood ready for work.
• Set up a specific work station that is just for
  work and you can spread out. You need to create an office nook so that you can
  keep your papers and other needed items in one place and create a “workspace”.
  Ideally if you can close the door and have a window; however, with tight spaces
  and possibly multiple people in a residence working from home even carving out
  a corner of the living room to be your work station can help.
• Always make your to-do list at the end of the
  business day for the following day. This is good practice even when we are not
  working from home! Creating to do lists keeps you on track for tasks and goals
  you need to complete and having a fresh one every morning lets you start the
  day ready to roll instead of trying to get yourself going.
• Change positions! Every 1-2 hours, move your
  laptop to another place (for those with the luxury you can try working from
  another room or an outdoor space for an hour). This is good for your body and a
  change of scenery is the closest replacement for socialization.
• Schedule breaks and take them! It’s too easy to
  work through lunch when you’re on a roll (same as in the office) but it’s
  important to LEAVE your workspace. Get some fresh air ideally, go for a walk,
  do some stretching exercises or anything that helps you turn off your mind to
  work for that full break when it’s possible.
• Stay hydrated! Have a large glass or bottle of
  water at your work station and every time it is empty you get up from your
  station and refill it. This is a great way to keep yourself hydrated and allow
  yourself to take a quick mental break. Try to also maintain a healthy diet
  working from home. It is easy to be drawn to the sugar and salty snacks when
  they are so close calling your name! Try to have healthy snacks around when
  possible.
• Work your scheduled hours when you can. If you
  work 8-4 or 9-5 you should keep to that schedule (unless it is not possible or
  you are on-call). It may seem easy to check your email or voicemail all the
  time because your workspace is so close, but you want to avoid burnout and
  having definitive work and personal time is vitally important.

For many employees working from home for an extended period
of time is going to be a challenge so make the commitment to keep following a
routine, communicate with your supervisor and colleagues and take time to
debrief, relax and center your mind and self away from work after hours. Once
we return to office work we will really appreciate the noise and chatter after
this journey.