Set a schedule, have your own designated workspace, change into your work clothes and don’t forget to take regular breaks. These are some tips given by online project management platform Zoho Projects, to make your work-from-home setup a success – a mode that companies are increasingly adopting as the corona virus sweeps across the world. As countries everywhere go into lockdown, and the number of COVID-19 cases is on the rise, there is an overwhelming barrage of discussion about remote work. It’s all anyone can talk about.
Companies whose employees can work remotely should be asked to. This would be a major step towards containing the spread of the virus. In light of discovering that the virus can have asymptomatic carriers – people can get infected and show no symptoms and yet be fully capable of spreading it to others – it becomes imperative to restrict all social movement.
With the closure of schools, people working remotely also get to spend more time with their children at home. It’s an added responsibility to engage the kids during lockdowns while keeping up with work at the same time.
Although a lot of businessmen and authorities are quick to praise the benefits of working from home, for a lot of companies, work culture is built around face-to-face interactions and real-time collaboration. Overnight when everyone decided to remotely, these companies would naturally take some time to adjust to the new-normal. It will be very difficult for those companies that have always opted for the face-to-face worker to now be able to urgently and successfully implement this model that moves the office home.
Basic tips for working from home by Zoho
Routine and schedule
The most common problem among people trying remote working for the first time arises when a schedule needs to be set. Thinking that you have all day to do your homework is a mistake. If there is no routine, two things can happen: that the assigned tasks are not fulfilled or that one ends up working many more hours than in the office. So, you have to set a time and stick to it. It’s about creating a habit.
Avoid distractions: close all social networks except the ones you use to work. If necessary, leave the phone in another room.
Set up your workspace
You have to set aside a work station inside your house. Ideally, if you do not have a home office, enable a unit with the maximum elements or accessories similar to those of an office. Make it clear to people living with you that this is an office, so that there are no interruptions.
If what you are looking for is productivity, working lying in bed (an almost irresistible temptation at first) or in the dining room with the television on is a big no-no, according to experts in the field. Working from home is not sitting on the sofa at home with the laptop in your lap. It is necessary to have a place to work, even at the kitchen table, to distinguish it from the leisure context. Make sure that the table and chair meet the minimum necessary ergonomic conditions, and that you have natural light, but do not hit the screen directly.
Practice self-discipline
There are no bosses at home. So, you are probably your own supervisor. Have your to-do list for each day, carve out time in your day to work on them and organize your day accordingly. The fact that nobody pressures you directly, or that colleagues or your boss isn’t watching, is not an excuse to relax and leave for tomorrow what in the office would be closed today. It is a matter of self-discipline.
Change into your work clothes
Changing out of your pajamas sends a signal to your brain that you mean business. Showering in the morning and getting into some clothes that aren’t your pyjamas can be the routine that mentally starts your brain. It is also not necessary to dress in a suit and tie, but it is ideal to dress in other “street” clothes, even if they are more comfortable or informal than the ones we would wear in the office.
Just like sitting on the sofa can make you feel too relaxed, working in your pyjamas makes it difficult to put yourself in “work mode.” You have to dress comfortably but presentably as if you were going to have a video conference.
Breaks
Working from home with the appropriate means usually leads to an increase in concentration. At home, when things are done well, there are fewer distractions than in an office, where there are continuous movements of colleagues or situations that interrupt the task at hand.
Sitting all day in front of the computer is negative for health and generates more fatigue. Zoho recommends the “Pomodoro Technique” for people working from home.
Here’s how it works. Program a timer for 25 minutes during which you work focused on a task; When finished, a 5 minute break. Do some exercise or stretch or even some housework, and start again. Getting up and walking around the house when talking on the phone is also a good practice in this regard.
The advantage of being at home is that these stoppages can be scheduled without being aware – as is the case in the office – of what the boss or the rest of colleagues may think.
Try Zoho Projects
Organizations are galloping towards automation and productivity enhancing platforms, and Zoho Projects remain a key name in the same regard. It’s present in the market since 1996 and offers a sustainable, simple, and growth-oriented platform with a smart interface that is not only visually appealing but offers the fundamentals of project management.
We highly recommend Zoho Projects to optimize the organizational structure during the COVID-19 pandemic as it continues to reward its customers.
