Are you working from home? Do you feel like remote working has started to take its toll on your mood or health? If that's the case, it's time you've changed something before you experience any nuisances.
Are you working from home? Do you feel like remote working has started to take its toll on your mood or health? If that's the case, it's time you've changed something before you experience any more nuisances. Believe it or not, you can create a perfect workplace environment at your home. What's best is that you won't have to spend too much time or money once you start creating your very own home office. Here are the tips to guide you and help you organize the best and healthiest possible workplace environment.
Decide on an actual workspace
If you've been working at your kitchen table, in your living room, or, even worse, in your bedroom, you may have been less productive than you had expected. Using one space for multiple purposes sounds good but it isn't the happiest option. Namely, you may get a bit confused if you sleep and work in the very same spot. The problem is that your body won't recognize when it is time for working and when for relaxing. It can't since the surroundings are all the same.
That is why you can be productive in an actual office. You immediately recognize the space as the one for having meetings, making plans, and doing whatever you do at work. That is what you need at home and you can make it happen in a rather simple way. If you have a spare room, use it as your office. Get a desk and a chair for start and then add up things as time passes. Soon, you'll have your very own home office and you'll also have space where no one will disturb you, whether it is family, friends, or pets.
Get some quality technology
Once you get the basics – a desk and a chair, you’ll need to spend some more money on equipment. Every job today requires some technology. Especially since you work from home, you’ll need to stay in touch with your colleagues. You can’t do that if you don’t have a good Internet connection and quality technology. A laptop, tablet, or remote phone system will simply be necessary for your home office.
Technological hassles are not unusual and that is exactly why you should make sure that your router is a high-performance one. Working from home already carries a lot of nuances and you don’t need anymore, especially not technological ones. Make sure to purchase whatever you need on time and place it all nicely into your office. That way, you’ll be ready to be productive with no issues, even at your home.
Buy appropriate office furniture
It’s best to have all of the pieces of furniture you might need in an office. You’ve already gotten a desk and a chair. You’ve even gotten the technology you need. Now is the time you started buying other things an office needs. Make sure to check the size of your home office and the size of the things you’re about to bring in there.
For instance, if you get some bookshelves, don’t make a purchase before you see whether they fit or not. There are plenty of useful options you may add to your home office. For instance, stand up desk mats, such as the ones at Mat Shop if you opt for a stand-up desk or a desk lamp for a better atmosphere or a whiteboard for better organization. Whatever you get, make sure that it meets your needs, that is comfortable, and that it helps you work more productively.
Set work hours
Another thing that is important when it comes to working from home is that you should act as if you were in an actual office. That means that you should dress for the office and that you should have some real work hours. See what you would normally dress for work and get into that right before you start working. That will help you get into the business work and stay there.
Another important thing that will get you into the work mode is setting real work hours. You should see when you are most productive. For some people, that may be early in the morning, for others late at night, and for some, it could be right around noon. Whatever your time is, make sure to use it and do your work then. One thing is to set the hours and another to stay disciplined. The latter one is much more difficult but much more important, so don't give up and try your best to endure!
Separate business and private life
A common problem, when it comes to working from home is that people can’t always differentiate between the two opposites – business and private life. The fact that your work is present in your home is really problematic and it can play with your head in a way. Namely, work could creep into your home life which only makes things worse.
To not let your career get invasive in your personal life, you’ll have to deal with your home office for a little longer. For instance, you should keep your work-related things only in your office and nowhere else in the home. On the other hand, you shouldn’t bring in any private staff into the office either. A framed picture of your family is okay, of course, but make sure not to go overboard with such staff. All this will help you set boundaries and work productively in a healthy environment.
Use a planner and update your to-do list
The organization is the key to success. It is vital and without it, you won't do much. To be more organized at your home office, make sure to plan a lot and to stick to the plan. Since you know when your productivity periods are and you've already set work hours, the planning won't be a problem. Make sure to think of all your tasks and mark them down in your calendar or planner.
That will make it easier for you to keep track of any deadlines, appointments, and meetings that are ahead of you. You should also create a to-do list and update it every morning. Mark things in different colours to differentiate between priorities and less important tasks. Highlight all the deadlines and make sure to check off the things you’ve already finished. That will be so fulfilling that it will motivate you to keep up the good work and earn that salary!
Develop a good morning routine
A good morning routine is an effective morning routine. That means that you should do things that motivate you and push you forward in the morning. Even though you don’t have to get up early and commute to work, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t have some morning routine. For instance, you could get up, exercise, and shower right after breakfast, or go get a coffee outside and walk around the block. Whatever works best for you is a good idea.
Acting like you have to leave the house will make you more efficient. Another instance is setting multiple alarms. Even if you like sleeping a lot, you should get up early either way. An alarm waking you up at the same time every morning will help your body get into the working mode. Before you know it, you won’t even need an alarm to wake up. Since alarms make people feel more organized, they could only benefit you and your job.
Don’t forget to exercise
Another problem with remote working is that you don't move. Namely, you spend most of your time sitting down. When you work at an office, you at least spend the time walking to the office or the bus station. On the other hand, when working from home, you only walk from your bedroom to your home office. That can cause you a lot of health issues. Your posture and spine might suffer a lot due to this problem.
That is exactly why you should exercise regularly. Make sure to make a couple of breaks to move around. Exercise is essential for your mood as well. Thanks to exercise, you feel happier. Exercise increases enjoyment and interest levels. These are very important for your health, but for your work as well. You can’t be productive and do a good job if you feel tired, burnt out, and stiff. Even if you don’t work out, you could at least stretch for a while. That will also benefit you a lot.
Eat healthily
If you want to keep that productivity level high, forget about unhealthy meals. Foods such as pizzas, white bread, fried food, pastries, and cakes are very bad for you. Drinks like high-calorie coffee drinks, fruit juices, and sugary drinks are also very bad. They don’t just interfere with your health, but also with your ability to concentrate and get creative.
On the other hand, there are some much healthier options that you should have access to in your home office. For instance, fruits and vegetables are insanely good for your health. Filled with vitamins, they improve your well-being in numerous ways. They also affect your productivity levels. As soon as you start working, you’ll feel the need to chew on something. Make sure to avoid chips and cookies, and instead get some nuts, since they are much healthier snacks.
Take breaks
There is nothing bad about taking a break. There is nothing bad about taking several breaks throughout the workday. On the contrary, that is something you should do. If you work for too long with no breaks whatsoever, you could easily feel too tired to think, let alone do something well.
Overworking kills productivity. If you feel like taking a break might slow you down, you are very wrong. Taking some time to relax your body and think about something else is very important if you want to stay productive and sane. You can even put the breaks into the schedule and, that way, you won’t see them as wasting time, but as following the schedule.
Create a rewards system
It is hard to get through a working day. It can get even harder when there are no other colleagues around you to motivate you and push you. If you have trouble with procrastination, try introducing a rewards system.
All you need to do is to decide on a reward for each task you finish. For instance, if you have to send a report by 10 am, you can grab a snack once you’ve sent it. The snacks, the breaks, anything really could be your reward.
Conclusion
Working from home isn't easy. There are a lot of challenges, but, luckily, they are all solvable. All you need is a strong will and, with these tips, you won't even notice that you aren't in an actual office.
