Working from home can become a lonely enterprise, especially in this era of social distancing. However, it doesn’t have to be. You can remain productive, stimulated and efficient while remote working.
Why home working can be hard
Distractions can disrupt your productivity for those not used to working at home. You are in your personal space and not your usual professional environment. In your sight is the washing that needs to be done and a house that might need cleaning. Perhaps, your dog wants to go for a walk, or your family are home and asking questions, causing you to lose focus. On the other hand, being at home 24/7, you could find yourself working overtime on the job long after you usually would have called it a day at the office. Without the psychological separation between the office and home, it can be easy to blur the dividing line between work time and rest.
How to make remote working successful
Get started early
We know it’s tempting to hit the snooze button on your alarm when you don’t have that early morning commute into the office, but it’s best not to! Keeping a routine is essential when working from home. Get up, get ready and get moving. If you don’t have to do the school run, why not do a little morning home workout to awaken the mind.
Pretend you are going into the office
When working from home, prepare as if you were going into the office. Set your alarm, make your morning coffee and wear your regular office clothes (as tempting as it is to stay in your PJs). It’s essential to keep that mental association of going to work to ensure you will be productive.
Structure your day
If you don’t structure your day, you can quickly lose focus and burn out. Make a plan for the day. Use your Outlook or Google calendar to set reminders for yourself.
Communicate with your team
Make use of the technology you have; we use Microsoft Teams internally to communicate with the whole business. We can instant message, set up group chats, video call and share/edit files. It’s crucial for mental health not to feel isolated during a period of remote working. So why not set up daily catch-up calls with your team to check-in, ask about their day and discuss what everyone has achieved. You can then all share your plan for the following day and set goals.
Avoid working in your bedroom (if you can).
Set up a dedicated workspace in your home to act as your new office. Make sure there is natural light, and it is free from distractions. Try to avoid working on top of your bed or on the couch. You’re likely to become more relaxed if you do this and not be in the right mind to work.
Don’t let yourself get distracted
As tempting as it might be to have the TV on in the background, don’t! You wouldn’t do this in the office, so why start now. If you’re used to having the radio or Spotify, that’s OK. Music helps some people focus. Many Spotify playlists are made to help you get in the right frame of mind. Stay off social media, too. Log out of your social accounts and only check these on your break unless your job requires you to use social media.
Take regular breaks
When working from home, it’s easy to just carry on working through. However, this will be counter-productive in the long run. Take 5 mins to relax away from your home working set-up; put the kettle on or let the dog out. It’s tempting to sit on your mobile for 5 minutes but try to get away from all devices and give your mind a rest.
Remote working technology
As a cloud-based business, all the team at SoConnect are always fully prepared for remote work. We mentioned before using Microsoft Teams to collaborate with colleagues. It’s a great application allowing everyone to communicate throughout the day, whether on a group chat or video conference. SoConnect can have your Microsoft Teams application up and running as a business-grade voice solution in hours. We can also provide dedicated or portable internet connectivity to your home to avoid pressure on your home internet connection. Find out more here: Home Broadband.
Our knowledgeable consultants can guide you through making a business continuity plan to utilise your VoIP solution alongside collaboration tools. Your business can run as usual no matter where your employees are working.
Contact our friendly team today to find out more on: 0333 240 1824 or email us at sales@soconnect.co.uk
