Homeoffice Tips

[Tine]

What I have learned in moe than 13 years of working from home:

 

Many people are suddenly working from home, which is in itself already very much of a privilege. If you can work from home, your income is most likely somewhat safe, and you have something to do while we are in lockdown. So we can already be enormously grateful for that.

 

Having said that it's also tricky to work from home suddenly, so here are some tips or rather my learnings and how I go about it after more than 13 years of mostly home office:

• Do your morning routine as usual: Get up, shower, get dressed, have breakfast, meditate. Do all of that before you "go to the office". 
• You can wear slippers but other than that dress as if you are going out.
• Once you sit down on your desk, you are at work. Write down the time you start and do not allow yourself longer breaks to do random things around the house.
• Get a coffee, chat with coworkers but do not start unloading the dishwasher.
• If you have a dog, walk the dog before you go to work and/ or in your lunch break.
• Stay focused, check-in with colleagues, talk about what has a priority.
• Make sure you share what you do in the relevant groups to keep things transparent as you won't be able to overhear things or stay in the loop by merely sitting at the same table as your team.
• I use a binaural beat app and divide my time into 30min to 1h chunks in which I try to stay with one topic.
• Ideally, I create a list of tasks I want to finish that day in the morning which helps a lot but is something I struggle with. We are using Jira so at least I have a clear overview and priorities on what to focus on in that week.
• Take lunch break serious. Tell your coworkers, start at a fixed time. Sit down, have some proper food and a real break, followed by some walking if that is possible or stretching. Anything that is not related to sitting on a desk looking at your computer. Maybe you have been preparing some freshly cooked food.
• Finish work at an appropriate time and close the computer. It's essential to have a precise cut between working hours and private time. I have spent way too many hours still on my laptop until late without being fully productive.
• Concentrate at one thing at a time: Do not turn the TV on while working, only turn the TV on if you are sitting down watching something. Focus on what you are doing and finish the task. 
• I can't speak for all childcare situations. Here the kids are 9 and 11, and they also stay as close as possible to their regular schedule. However, when a child needs attention, be there fully and then go back to your work and focus on that entirely. 
• Do not expect 8 hours of 100% concentrated and productive work. You won't be able to do that in the office, and you won't be able to do that at home, even when you are alone. So do the best you can during your work hours and do not beat yourself. Tomorrow is another day.

 

Please add more ideas, experiences and tips!

Stay safe, stay mentally and physically healthy!

[Li****]

Thank you for sharing Tine! ?

[Tine]

7th of April 1PM ET - happify.com if offering a free webinar: How to Stay Positive and Resilient While Working from Home