Whether you have been working from home as a result of the pandemic or work from home because you run your own business from home, there are a range of benefits as well as challenges. You might have children that are home the majority of the time, and work around them, or you try to cram all your working hours in when they’re sleep, at school or nursery.
Working from home offers a great flexibility, but the hours can be long, as it can be harder to ‘leave’ work, and there can be feelings of isolation if you’re used to working with a team. So how can you make sure that working from home is not only productive, but fun and enjoyable too? Here are some things to think about.
Dress the part
One of the benefits of working from home is that you don’t need to commute to the office and can work from your bed, technically. However, it will help your productivity, if you do get up and get yourself ready. Being comfortable is important when you’re sitting for a long day of work. Get dressed (at least from the waist up), otherwise you can feel sleepy and want to get back into bed if you’re sitting in cozy loungewear. It will mean you’re ready for any emergency calls and can give your esteem a boost too.
Keep work time and personal time separate
This is something that is definitely easier said than done, but it can hinder your productivity if you’re using work time to arrange dentist appointments or run personal errands. The same goes for when you’re on your personal time. You shouldn’t go to check work emails ‘just for a minute’ when you’re done for the evening, as it will no doubt turn into hours, and then you’ve not had any rest time. By keeping what you do separate, and establishing a routine of when you’re working and when you’re not, it will reduce your stress levels, leave you feeling more productive, and help to have a better work and life balance.
Make communication easier
If you have a number of clients or colleagues that you need to be in touch with on a regular basis keeping communication simple and easy will really help. Having a messenger app to quickly ping over a question can make communicating for work much simpler. If you’re limited on screens and need an additional screen for your Zoom calls, you could use something like a Vibe for your work calls. Simplicity makes working from home much easier.
As a working mom, flexibility with hours is something that working from home really offers. Just make sure that you make it easier on yourself, to be as productive as you can, with these tips.
