March 30th 2020
5 USEFUL TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE HOME WORKING
Due to the latest coronavirus pandemic, most people are now working from home. As for many, workers, this is a new experience, we would like to share 5 useful tips for effective home working to help you get the most out of your day!
1. Developing a routine
It is important to develop a routine to follow, just as you'd normally have when going into work. Routines can keep you focused, which is important when working from home. Working from home is at the end of the day, working! So if you don’t have a routine set, are you really optimising your time efficiently? Making use of your work calendar to plan your time and structure your day can be really helpful in making sure you stick to a routine.
2. Have a Distraction-Free Environment
It is important to work in a distraction-free environment when working from home. Finding a quiet room where you can concentrate is key. It may be tempting to set your home office up on your couch, an arm’s length away from your TV remote, but it’s probably not a good idea. A room with minimal distractions, with fewer temptations around will keep you focused on your work.
When working from home, you may think that all the Health & Safety rules don't apply, but it's still important to ensure you sit somewhere where you have a good posture and follow the regulations about an accurate desk and chair setup. Your employer should help with advice on this for you.
3. Give yourself plenty of breaks
Having regular breaks is important for your health and can even improve how much work you get done. Breaks are just as productive as working time as they give you chance to reset. But don't push it! Why not try every hour or so, take your eyes off your computer screen for 5 minutes. You may chose to get a snack, do some stretches, go into another room or even make some written notes. By allowing yourself regular breaks, you will find that your productivity improves!
4. Stay in regular contact with your team
You may not be able to meet your co-workers and friends in person, but staying in regular contact, whether that be through messaging, audio or video calls, helps to keep everyone up to date and morale high. Here at Lily, we use our Collaborate remote-working solution to have regular video conferences with our teams, so we don’t miss each other too much! Whatever solution you use, seeing each other and collaborating can really help boost morale and productivity. Maybe you'll even notice your team working gets more effective!
5. Get plenty of sleep
Working from home has one big advantage, there isn’t a need to travel! Less travelling means less time to get ready for work, which then means you can get more sleep! Getting enough sleep not only improves general health & wellbeing, it can make sure you have more energy in your tank to burn. It's important to distinguish between the working day and your home life, so whether you choose to have more sleep or relax in other ways, it's vital to ensure that you have a clear switch in your mind between work life and home life.
Hopefully these tips have helped you re-think your home working situation! Here at Lily, we have implemented a successful remote working structure to support our customers. We have a range of remote working solutions that we are currently using ourselves that could really help your business to remain operational.
Get in touch today, it’s never too late to start deploying your effective remote working strategy.