Obstacle: Proving your productivity.
Check your tech.
Many studies suggest that employees are conscious of proving that they can work effectively from home to prove their worth and justify the arrangement. To ensure a smooth transition, make sure that you have access to all of your logins and any devices or stationery that you may need. Whether you can sign in from your home device or need to take your work devices home with you, make sure you have remote access to your emails, websites and any other software that you use daily at work. Do this as soon as possible, so you have time to contact IT and resolve any issues before we all get sent home. If you have access to everything that you would have at work, nothing is stopping you from being equally as productive.
Obstacle: Too many distractions.
Set up a designated workspace.
Even if, like me, you don’t have a desk at home, having a designated workspace will help to increase productivity. It will give you a place to focus on work and a place to get away from on your breaks. It doesn’t have to be the same workspace every day either, whether you like to sit to one side of the sofa with your laptop propped on the arm or clear a space on your living room floor where you can spread all of your notes out around you. Figure out your designated workspace, set it up with whatever devices and chargers you’re going to need and ask that others that you may live with stay out of it during your planned working hours.
Obstacle: Over-snacking
Stick to your usual routine.
Get up, get dressed and pack your lunch (if you didn’t prepare it the night before). Sticking to your routine will not only help you to stay in the working mindset, but it will prevent any mid-morning snack attacks. It may seem drastic but schedule your breaks and leave your workspace on your lunch. It will help you to maintain the structure of your day. Make sure that you take your lunch; working through lunch may make us feel like we’re being more productive, but it’s mentally exhausting. Even if you don’t take your whole break, getting away from your workspace for as little as 10-20mins will help to recharge your productivity and boost your mental wellbeing.
Obstacle: Loneliness
Stay in touch.
By calling, by text, by video, by homing pigeon... Whether you want to talk about work, the latest news updates or talk about anything but, you’re not alone. If you schedule your breaks for roughly the same time slot every day, your friends and family will know when you are going to be free for a chat. Why not replicate workplace camaraderie with a virtual lunchroom? If you have access to video software, you could set up a video chat that’s optional for anyone to enter. Compare lunches, take your team for a home office tour or show your team that you are a proud pet parent. We don’t know how long we are going to be working from home for, so it’s important to try to boost and maintain your company culture by staying in touch with your colleagues too.
Obstacle: Fear
Suggestion: Filter your media.
It’s natural, our home and work lives are being disrupted, we don’t know how long for and it is anxiety-inducing. With more than 1 billion mentions of coronavirus on social media, it’s easy to feel a little bit bombarded. We’re not saying to avoid the news, but most social platforms allow you to hide keywords or phrases from your social feeds. That way, if you want more information you can still actively seek it from your own trusted sources.