I’ve done a lot of working from home. For what it’s worth, here’s a thread of things that make it work for me!
1. Get out of your PJs! It might seem handy to be able to immediately get to work, but you need to put some real clothes on to get into work mentality.
1. Get out of your PJs! It might seem handy to be able to immediately get to work, but you need to put some real clothes on to get into work mentality.
2. Dedicate a space in your house to working & do not also use that space to watch Netflix/check Facebook! I’m lucky, we have a room that is a dedicated office. But create that space wherever you can. Even just changing the layout of a space you use to relax in at other times.
3. Take a lunch break! It can be nice to think “oh I have all the flexibility now, I can work any hours”, but routine is really needed. Move away from your work area for an hour, go for a walk, eat, have a cup of tea.
4. Set your start and end times at the beginning of the day/week. It can be tempting to go have a long lunch & work late - if you want to do that, schedule it in - but you might end up working at 9pm a lot as you screwed up your routine, and then working at home becomes a chore.
Lastly, be aware of your work hours and make sure your colleagues know them. Do not be tempted to answer calls at 6pm if you clocked off at 5.30pm, it’s just as important that others respect your routine as it is you respect your own routine.
It may all be common sense, it might be unnecessary to spell it out, but I struggled for a while, and at times I still do. Working at home can be great, but can also be lonely and can mess with your routine.
