During the coronavirus pandemic, many companies have had their employees work from home. This new directive creates new challenges for the workforce as people try to adjust to the new way of working. What used to be an occasional experiment earlier for a selected few is now being practiced by many more formally and setting new expectations, which makes it more challenging. Expert Gary Saitowitz feels that since most employees are working remotely for the first time, they should learn how to deal with the situation so that they can take it easy and deliver according to the expectations.
Set up your work area like Gary Saitowitz
The first thing you need to do to work from home effectively is make sure your wi-fi connection is good. This is the most critical component of beginning to work from home. Choose space at home where you can set up your workstation to sit and work comfortably with minimal or no distractions. Having a room exclusively for working behind closed doors is the best option. You may have to invest in furniture to create a comfortable workspace. Your workspace should have a desk and ergonomic chair that allows you to work for long hours without straining the body. If required, upgrade the Wi-Fi connection and router for better bandwidth, which would be necessary to support the workload.
Mind your attire
Since you will work from home, it might be tempting to stay casual with your dressing, which gives an apparent sense of comfort. Even if loose fitting casual clothes are comfortable, you should still try to dress as if you are going into the office so that you can set a good barrier between work and rest. It is proven that people who just wear their lounge clothes when working at home are less productive than their counterparts who wear work attire at home. Wearing casual clothing at home when working is bad for your productivity. Changing your clothes sends a signal to your brain that it is time to work, so your mind is prepared to work.
Have clearly defined working hours
Just as you create and designate your physical workspace and tune your mind to start the work, you must be clear about your work hours—when you will work and when you will not. Having defined working hours will help you to dedicate the time exclusively for work so that you can pay undivided attention and meet the timelines comfortably. Moreover, if you are working in a collaborative role, following the same schedule as your co-workers makes everything easier for you. Setting working hours helps you to take charge of the environment and behave like you would be doing in the office.
Manage distractions
Managing distractions is one of the biggest challenges for people working from home. Since everything you plan to do after work is right in front of you, it is only normal to get distracted. Plan for fixed times to take a break as you would do in the office and desist from taking up any other work during the brief stoppage but instead relax and rewind to get ready for the next session.
Maintaining good communication with your colleagues, team members, and the boss is crucial for setting the right expectations about working from home.