After spending much of 2020 and 2021 working from home, it’s estimated that 78% of employees would like to keep some form of remote / home working in their lives. The majority saying they prefer to work in the office for only two days or less
With this in mind, and many younger graduates and career changers entering a potential ‘remote’ working world, I thought I’d share some tips for working at home, based on my nearly two years of remote working.
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Block out your time
Use your work/personal calendar to plan out your day.
Not only is this great for having an idea on your day but it can allow you to focus on certain tasks, and block out time when you just can’t deal with another meeting.
Things can change, but with blocked-out time you avoid meeting overloads and manage your workflow more by knowing when you can focus.
Set time boundaries
With no commute and no “water-cooler” moments, it’s easy to work the whole day.
To counter this, set end-of-day tasks. Be that walking the dog at 17:30, time with the kids once you pack up, or booking a fitness class at 18:00.
Not only does it help set boundaries for work and personal time but also helps you find achieve personal goals throughout the week.
Set regular breaks
Setting regular breaks doesn’t just help relieve the pressure of work, it can help you focus in the long run.
Set and plan points in the day (i.e elevensies) where you’ll get up and stretch or take your eyes off your screen for a moment or two.
Be it five minutes to make a tea or have a chat with a housemate or partner, use it to ‘micro-break’ from solidly working and giving your mind and body a rest.
Track your time
You may already do this as standard but, personally, it’s a good way to track your day and see what’s a time drain.
Similar to how a lot of management uses it to track and find time-consuming tasks. Time tracking can help you spot where you’ve been work, and what’s taken up most of your time.
Plus, if you keep it filled through the day, it can help you set your boundaries. If you’re paid for x hours, you can see you’re not working too much unpaid overtime.
Turn on ‘Do Not Disturb’
Got a hard or deep focus task on? Make ‘Do Not Disturb’ your friend.
Unlike in an office, where someone could pop over to you for a “quick catch up”, working from home or working remotely allows you to take a step back.
It’s best to notify colleagues when you do this, either on group chat saying “I’m just going to focus for xx minutes”, so they aren’t left high and dry, or you don’t come back to heaps of messages.
Do your to-do list in the morning
Some advise doing it the night before, but for me, the best time in the morning. Otherwise, things can play of your mind that night.
Pick out 3-4 things from your “priority” or “need to be done” tasks to accomplish that day, often with one ‘hard task’, a warm-up, and one routine.
Not only does it help focus you and keep things manageable, knocking them off by the end of the day is a great feeling.
Manage your meetings
Like client meetings, quick catch-ups need to have a point. Before agreeing or joining, ask what is going to be discussed and if you’re actually needed.
This way, not only can you save some time on calls you’re really not needed for, but you can plan your day out more and get through work, rather than talking about it.
Lastly, take notes and key points that you need, repeating them back to people towards the end, so there are no surprises. Even better, repeat them writing afterward.
Exercise your body
In the same vein as taking regular breaks, it’s important to listen to your body and keep active when at WFH or working remotely.
Going for a lunchtime walk or run, or regular exercise classes can help set time boundaries, and keep you physically and mentally fit.
It can seriously be as simple as popping to a local coffee shop or walking the dog, or even an after-work online yoga class.Like client meetings, quick catch-ups need to have a point. Before agreeing or joining, ask what is going to be discussed and if you’re actually needed.
Don’t eat too many carbs
Okay, first, carbs are life. But, that doesn’t mean they’re great at when WFH or remote working.
A too carb-heavy meal can make you feel sluggish and tired, what with the density of the food and how long it takes to digest.
Try to make lunches quite lean, using fresh and “light” produce, with plenty of protein to help you feel fuller for longer.
Go to bed on time
With little to no commute, it can be easy to sleep in or stay up late and wake up late.
Try to avoid this by getting exercising both physically and mentally, allowing you to get to bed in good time and wake up in good time.
For instance, a screen-off time (as well as a bedtime), and relax, meditate, or read, so you can find some chilled non-screen-based time.
(This said, studies have indicated that sleep deprivation is a very real concern, with many people naturally not ‘wired’ for the 9-5).
Hydrate!
How many of these types of posts have to say it. Drink plenty of water!
Keep a pint (or glass) of water near you throughout the day, taking regular sips as you go through your day – using refills to take a break from your screen
Hot drinks can be okay but try to make water your main hydration. Though when you do make cuppa, don’t forget to treat yourself to the odd biscuit.
Create some work playlists
Podcasts, pop, or mood setters are a great way to bring some personality to wherever you’re working, help fill the quietness, or cover up distractions from elsewhere.
For me, I break my songs into various playlists; fast beats, mainstream “sing-alongs”, melodies that play in the background, and chilled (often natural sounds, or Ibiza sunset mixes).
Check out one of my latest studies for the top remote and working from home playlists.
Set a morning routine
Rather than rushing to start your day, or starting your day with “sleep” still in your eyes, find a wake-up time that is best for you and gives your time to get up and ready for the day.
It’s so easy to fall into waking up with 5 minutes spare before the start of the day, but this can often lead to a lethargic feeling for most of the day.
Take some time in the mornings to wake up, enjoy the ‘peace’, and coast into the day.
(Though again, your circadian rhythm can be why you struggle to get up, try to give yourself the best chance by sleeping by “switching off” and tiring yourself enough).
Set regular goals
Setting out bitesize and manageable goals is a great way to find some extra motivation.
I’m not talking about heaps of goals but stages that aim and interact with others, so you can see them come to reality without being overwhelmed.
One way is to set check-in with yourself every 3 months, breaking down the ‘large’ tasks into more manageable chunks by months and weeks, which then feed into your daily to-dos.
These are just some of the tips I’ve picked up from fellow remote workers and since I went remote in late 2019. Whilst some might not suit you, they might suit others and vice versa.
So many of us now working from home, as part of the shift in work patterns and styles since 2020. So, I thought these tips might 14 working from home tips might be able to help of some you, your friends, and colleagues.
If you have any remote working tips, please do feel free to share them below. I’ll be updating this post on a semi-regular basis so any further tips would be great to hear and share.
Final thing. It’s totally okay to just want to get by when working from home. I know that A LOT of the hustle culture can be quite toxic and burn-out-inducing, so have tried to keep these working from home tips focused on managing work and life balance.
