Working From Home

Working from home might sound very appealing. We imagine ourselves wearing pyjamas all day long, no make up, no worries about our hair, getting up whenever we want, doing whatever we want (the employer won’t notice anything). Working from home undoubtedly has many advantages. But, it’s not always as easy as it looks or sounds like.

I’m someone who is at the moment, working from home and it’s a great feeling when we don’t have to worry about the weather, what we’ll wear, the traffic and so on. Some jobs offer us the luxury of choosing when we’ll work, how often and how much, which is a great thing, especially for parents or students who need to combine their studies with their job. On the other hand, there’re some jobs where we have a precise working hour and how many times a week we’re supposed to work.

No matter what the job is, sometimes people get too excited and wear their pyjamas all day long, start working from their bed and have no routine nor schedule whatsoever. This is very bad, because at some point, our professional and private life will coincide and we’ll start to feel frustrated and stressed out. Moreover, it’ll affect our motivation, productivity and eagerness to work and we’ll stop enjoying our job.

I used to make the same mistakes, but recently, I’ve decided to change that and have some routine about it and separate my working time from the ‘me’ time. Here are some tips that really helped me to stay motivated and better working-from-home organised:

1. Wake up at around the same time – it’s very important to have some type of routine when we’ll actually start our day. I recommend you to wake up a little bit earlier before you start working, so that you can have some time for yourself, get some nice breakfast, plan your day and get ready for work. You’ll feel way better if you do so, instead of working immediately as you wake up, from your bed.

2. Avoid wearing pyjamas – I know that it’s very tempting to wear pyjamas all day long and work that way, but trust me, I’ve done that and it’s surely great at the beginning, but later I started to feel very bad and not motivated at all. When I started to get dressed in the morning I could separate the ‘comfy’ time and working time and that really helped me a lot.

3. Create your own workspace – working from bed sounds great and it is, to some degree. However, when we have our own space which is only meant for work, it’s much easier to dedicate to our work and not be temped to stay in bed all day long. You can work from your balcony, sit next to the window, so that you can enjoy a beautiful view or put some music on. Create a space which will make you feel comfortable and motivated. Our bed/room should be used for relaxing and ‘me’ time instead of work. I also recommend you to keep your workspace clean and organised, so that you can start your working day refreshed and in a good mood.

4. Make breaks – I know that when we work from home, we can have a break whenever we want. Nevertheless, I recommend you when you work, to only stay focused on your work and avoid being distracted by TV, social media, phone, etc. Try to determine when you’ll have some short breaks to eat, stretch (this is very important, especially if you sit a lot during the day) or just relax a little bit.

5. Make lists – when we feel overwhelmed by the amount of things we need to do, it’s good to start making lists. It might sound boring, but just couple of minutes of your time will help you stay organised and avoid forgetting things (done that), especially some important ones. I personally prefer writing things down on a piece of paper to making notes in a phone. But, no matter what’s your personal preference, anything is fine, as long you do it. You can make your list every morning, or every evening for the following day. It’s up to you.

6. Determine your working hour – if you’re lucky that your working hour isn’t specified, I recommend you to decide approximately how long you’ll work and when your working day starts and when it ends. This is a great tip to stay focused on your work and separate your private from professional time. You can also have some type of ritual to let you know that the working time is over and that you should do anything, but work-related. E.g. taking a shower, playing with your pet, watching your favourite TV show, etc.

7. Stay in touch with your colleagues – one of the downsides of working from home is lack of connection. It’s great sometimes when we don’t have to worry about what our colleagues say or listen to some gossips, but at the same time, we might feel a little bit lonely or like we didn’t belong to our company. That’s why it’s very good to stay in touch with your colleagues through internet, social media, etc. (unless you run your own business)