WFH Like a Pro
by Regan Lang
When people think of working from home, several different thoughts come to mind. Some people imagine sleeping in late, lounging around all day and taking long breaks. However, others who have had experience working from home are aware of the reality of what it takes to successfully work a professional job from home. Whether you’re fond of working from home or not, many of us have been forced to adjust to this new way of doing our jobs.
With this being a new reality for so many workers, it is important to address the benefits and challenges working from home brings and explore ways to overcome these challenges.
Some of the benefits from working from home are having flexibility, a better work-life balance, and not having to commute. These aspects of work from home life can be distracting and even take away from your ability to effectively work from home. This being said, some of the challenges of home-based workers are learning how to avoid these distractions, follow a set schedule and deal with social isolation.
Luckily with a few basic tips, these challenges can easily be solved.
Here are tips on how to successfully work from home:
Have a set workspace.
Choose an area in your home you would like to dedicate keeping all of your work-related supplies. This should be the area of your home where you feel you can best focus and is free of distractions.
Plan out your day.
Just as you would do if you were in the office, have a set schedule for yourself. This will allow you to stay on track and get your work done as well as allow your co-workers to know when you are available and when you are not. Also communicate this schedule with people in your home so they can respect your working hours.
Take frequent breaks.
When working from home it can be easy to forget to get up and stretch, grab some water, or go for a quick walk. However, breaks are so important for your overall physical and mental wellbeing.
Schedule phone calls or FaceTimes with co-workers.
It is important to schedule time to connect with people within your office more than just through email. Find time to catch up on work related materials, and check in on one another.
Be positive.
When communicating primarily through email, it can be hard for people to interpret your tone through writing and for them to interpret yours. Always think the best of your co-workers when reading their messages. And when you send emails, get creative, use exclamation points and emojis in order to show your emotions through your emails. This way, your co-workers are less likely to misinterpret your messages.
Take advantage of the work from home.
There are many advantages of working from home. A few of them being the ability to use breaks to get small tasks done around the house, or getting free coffee refills and lunches right from your kitchen. Enjoy and take advantage of these little perks!
Working from home productively is becoming more and more common as jobs become remote due to various factors. It is important to find what workspace and schedule works best for you and allows you to thrive in your home work environment.
