The outbreak of Covid-19 has ultimately forced many people to work from home. If this is completely new to you then you may find that it is hard to get in the swing of things. You may find that you are unable to concentrate and that your routine has rendered you unproductive as well. If you want to maintain your productive balance, then this guide will tell you everything you need to know.

Maintain the Hours you Work

It’s so important that you set a schedule and that you stick to it. You need to have clear guidelines that will help you to know when to work and when to call it quits. This will help you to maintain a good work and life balance. One of the bonuses of working from home is that you can work late when required, or you can get up early to meet someone’s time zone. If you do this then make sure that you wrap up earlier, or sleep in the next day so that you can make up for it. There are apps out there that you can use to try and make sure that you are sticking to your schedule so keep that in mind if you can.

Create a Good Routine

You may well sit with your morning coffee and think about starting work at a set time. This is great, but you still need a routine that will help you to get into the chair. Your morning routine will help you to start work and it will also help you to stop procrastinating. It may be that you get to work after a jog, or that you savour a coffee before booting up your laptop. Either way, you need a powerful routine that you can stick to as this will help you to get the motivation you need.

Set some Ground Rules

Set some ground rules with those who live in your home or your space in general. If you have kids and they come home from school while you work then they need clear rules about what they can and of course, cannot do during that time. Just because you are home and can take care of the pets etc, doesn’t mean that you should be doing it all the time. You need to divide up the domestic labour and you also need to try and stop yourself from being taken advantage of. If you don’t then you may find that your productivity suffers, and this is the last thing that you need.

Schedule some Breaks

Know the company policy you have on breaks and make sure that you take them. If you are self-employed then give yourself enough time in the day so you can walk away from the screen or your phone.  An hour for your lunch is required if you want to remain productive, so keep that in mind if possible.

Take Full Breaks

Carrying on from the above tip, you also have to make sure that you do not short-change yourself during your breaks. This is especially the case with your lunch hour. It’s possible for you to use Smart Break if you have a Windows PC, and this locks you out of your computer until your timer has run out. You would be surprised at how much you’ll need this when working from home.

Leave the House

Get out of the house if you can, providing you can social distance. The fresh air and the daylight will do you good and it can also work wonders for your mental health too.

Don’t Hesitate to Ask

If you are currently working for someone who supports you working from home, then try and ask them for all of the equipment you need. You have to make sure that you set any precedents early so that you can do your job comfortably. This may well include a monitor, keyboard, printer, software, mouse and more. If you are working from home and weren’t expected to, then make sure that you ask for whatever you need within reason. You may well be home for weeks on end, so you need to be efficient and organised.

Have a Dedicated Space

In the ideal world, those who work from home would have a dedicated office. They would also have a computer for work and another one for personal use. This is more secure, and it also gives you the chance to browse whatever you want without having to worry about traces being on your work laptop. That being said, this is not realistic. If you want to work around this, then try and have a desk set up so you can plug your laptop into a monitor. The great thing about doing this is that when you unplug your laptop, you then know that it is time for you to unwind.

Get your Own Phone Number

Don’t give your own personal phone number out to colleagues. Have a separate one so when you finish work, you no longer have to worry about calls disturbing your personal time.

Use a VPN

Use a VPN whenever you are connected to a network. Some organisations have their own VPN as this will help you to stay connected without having to worry about having a weak or unsecure connection when sharing sensitive or confidential data.

Socialise

Disconnect and isolation are all common issues which often take place in work life. This is especially the case if you are an extrovert. Companies who have a work from home culture will normally offer various ways to help people talk to one another. It may be that they have their own chat channel where people can share interests. Either way, you need to know how much interaction you need to feel comfortable and you also need to make sure that you are aware of how much your mental health is being affected by lack of socialisation.

Show up to Meetings

Sure, you’ll have to be in video conferences or even calls but it’s a good idea to go to the more optional meetings too. This will make your presence known and it will give you the chance to get more involved within the company overall.

Have Face Time

If your employer is somewhat lax about you being in a room with some other employees, then make sure that you allow for an annual trip within your contract. This could be a team-building activity, or it could even be a way for you to get some face time with other people. Either way, you need to be proactive in making sure that you are always having your needs met.

Take some Sick Days

If you are not well then make sure that you take all of the sick days you need. If you are working from home, then you may not think that you are allowed but this is not the case at all. Keep in mind that sometimes rest is essential if you want to get better and so you can be much more productive in the week.

Look for Training Opportunities

When you are not in an office with your other employees, you may end up missing out on valuable skills. Your company might forget to add you onto some of the other training courses that they are offering as well. It can be tempting to try and dodge them, but you should avoid this if you can. You need to keep pushing yourself and enrolling on the right courses.     

Communicate

Working remotely requires you to have a high level of communication. You need to tell everyone what they need to know about your schedule and you also need to discuss how available you are on a daily basis. If you don’t then you may find it hard to get on the same page as other people.

Be Positive

When you work remotely full time, you have to make sure that you are positive. At times you may think you are being too positive, but either way you need to use emojis and exclamation marks so you can get the right tone across in your email.

Take Advantage of your Perks

Every week, you may find that you have the option to bake some bread. Why? Because you can, and because you love it. If you worked in an office, you would not be able to do this. Working from home certainly comes with its own advantages, so capitalise on them if you can.

Don’t Give Yourself a Hard Time

The most successful entrepreneurs out there have a reputation for being disciplined. You need to try and make sure that you don’t reprimand yourself and that you also cut yourself some slack. Remember that you need to balance your productivity with your self-care where possible. If you don’t, then you may find yourself burning out.

End your Day with a Good Routine

Just as you’d start your day with a routine, you need to end it at a specific point too. It may be that you turn on a podcast, walk the dog or even listen to music. Either way, you need to mark the end of your working day if possible.

Make it Personal

Ultimately, you have to find something that works for you. You need to make sure that you focus on your own feelings, as this will help you to really make the most out of your working experience. If you feel like something isn’t working, it probably isn’t, so change it and do things your own way.