5 Tips for Working From Home

Discover practical ways to adapt to a home office routine

Right now, we are facing the collective task of learning to find new ways to collaborate and form communities online. Maybe you’ve never done it before and even thinking of working from home seems like a big challenge.

Here are five habits that will ensure the transition goes smoothly for you and your colleagues. If you’ve got any other ideas, please share them in the comments.

Establish your work schedule

When we start working from home, we’ll find we have extra time as we no longer have to travel to the office. You may be tempted to get some more sleep in, which will no doubt have a positive effect on your quality of life. However, for many, it’s better to stick to the same routine, for getting up, eating, and ending your day.

Various studies have shown that sticking to a sleep schedule (even on weekends), improves general health and sleeping patterns which, in the long run, can lead to stress, anxiety and irritability.

If you have extra time in the mornings, you can dedicate it to pleasures that will benefit your entire day: meditate, stretch, exercise, read, or spend quality time with someone before turning on the computer. On the other hand, when we work from home, it’s easy to lose the notion of time and work for hours on end. Make sure you take breaks and end your day at a reasonable time.

Follow a daily routine

Many people find it hard to adapt to a new routine when WFH. If you normally dedicate your morning hours to going through emails, or if there’s a particular day of the week you dedicate to a specific task, keep doing the same thing at home.

This applies to teamwork too. If you tend to meet on Monday mornings, keep doing it, even if you may need to be more flexible due to the change of environment, if colleagues need to care for kids for example.

There is a host of apps and tools that will ensure an easier ride into remote working. They remind us that, despite the distance, team communication is still key.

Set up your workspace

If you have to work from home, a great motivation is having your own space dedicated to professional work. It doesn’t matter if it’s a whole desk just for you or you need to adapt to a shared space with other flatmates or family members, make sure you create a pleasant and organized environment.

If you place relaxing and inspiring objects near you, you will feel more motivated to work every day. Have all the tools you use to hand, like notebooks and calendars. Good light and a comfortable seat also go a long way.

Don’t lose sight of your goals

A lot of people who move their work from office to home find it difficult to concentrate on their objectives. So many distractions everywhere! It’s good to be clear that, although you’re at home, your objective is to work. Forget about the TV, the cleaning, or the bed during your workday.

A good practice is to have your daily, weekly and monthly goals, whether that’s on paper or some kind of app, like Sticky Notes or Bear. You can also make daily lists of what you have to do.

Remember there are numerous ways of being connected

We know that a valuable part of working in an office is daily interaction with our colleagues: it helps the exchange of ideas, creative development and morale in general.

Above all else, prepare yourself mental for the fact that you may spend a lot of time alone or without physical contact with the people you live with. Doctor Steven Taylor, psychology expert, recommends we reflect on this. If you live with someone, speak with them openly about how to avoid stressful situations. Click on this link to find courses Domestika are offering for free.

If working from home is new to you, find new ways to connect with colleagues (they’ll be going through the same thing and you can support each other!). As well as regular meetings, you can also create new ways of sharing together, be it a book club, a movie marathon, or a collective challenge.

In this video, Ji Lee, Facebook and Instagram’s creative director, challenged creatives Joluvian and Zenzuke to make a piece of art that would make someone else happy.

What tips do you have for working from home? Share them with us!

You may also be interested in:

- How to Organize Your Time to Learn Online.
- 7 Apps for Remote Working.