Shifting into work mode
• Establish a morning routine as close as possible to your routine when you’re attending an office.
• If you don’t have a home office or desk, try to set up to work in the same place at home each day even if it’s at the kitchen table. This will help set the mindset of ‘going to work’.
• Sit on a chair as comfortable as possible.
• Ensure your working area is well lit- this may mean adding a lamp to your desk.
• Have a ‘to do list’ to keep on track and avoid procrastination and disruptions.
• Dress for your day (almost) – you will be on video calls so think about who you’ll be meeting and speaking with.
Dressing as you usually would can help the mental shift into work mode
• Consider your working environment at home in terms of what will help you focus vs. what will distract you and structure your workspace and workday for the best outcome.
• Make sure you take regular short 5-10 minute breaks throughout the day away from your workspace, just like you would at the office.
Technology
• If possible set up your laptop with an external monitor (or two), keyboard and mouse.
• Invest in a good quality headset for making and receiving phone calls.
• If you use a stylus, ensure you have that charged and ready to go for electronically marking up documents.
• Note: The remote working experience is only as good as your internet speed. If your home internet is slow, or other devices connected are slowing it down, try hot spotting to your mobile device.
There are many advantages to working from home – flexibility, increased productivity and less distractions. Here are some tips to help make working from home successful.
Last but by no means least – stay connected!
• Working from home can be lonely so make sure you develop some strategies to connect with people in your team
regularly.
• Get comfortable with using video calls! Use Zoom video calls to interact with your colleagues both formally and informally – face to face communication (even if via video) is the best way to replicate the experience you have working in the office.
• Set up group chats – this is a great way to keep the water cooler conversations going throughout the day.
Helpful resources
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-make-worlds-largest-work-from-home-experiment-work-simon-loong/
https://www.atlassian.com/blog/inside-atlassian/working-from-home-tips
https://www.abc.net.au/life/working-from-home/10725956
https://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/7-tips-for-productively-working-from-home.html
https://www.inc.com/christina-desmarais/get-more-done-18-tips-for-telecommuters.html