Working From Home Essentials: Tips From People Who Do It Successfully

Keeping yourself safe when working from home is so important now that this is almost the only option available to the majority of us, for the foreseeable future.

For us, the most important things while working from home are structure, breaks and check ins with colleagues. Working from home certainly has it’s benefits (woo hoo no traffic!) but it also has its draw backs. Reduced social interaction, difficulty switching off at night, less likely to take a break, unlimited access to the pantry... All of these things can impact our productivity and mental health. 

Keeping to a structured schedule and staying in touch with colleagues regularly is so important in maintaining a healthy work life. Technology plays a huge part during this time in keeping us connected, bring on the video calls! 

Hamish Blake said it well with his daily curriculum:

While this schedule might not be conducive to productive working day, following this principal at home is great! Keep to a regular wake up time, get dressed, schedule your breaks, schedule your check ins and maybe even do a tech detox at night?!

Working From Home Essentials: How To Do It Successfully:

Schedules and Structure  

I can't emphasize the importance of routine enough! Waking up at the same time every day, starting and finishing at the same times, scheduling regular breaks and calls with your colleagues, it makes all the difference! Here is mine for example:

6:30 Wake, morning routine and coffee run

7:30 Start work: content creation, campaign brainstorm, check socials

9:30 Break / colleague check in

9:45 Continue work: CRM and marketing automation maintenance

12:00 Lunch

12:15 Continue work: video content

2:15 Creative thinking 

3:30 Finish work

Work Like You Are At Work

The mental association between working and being in an office can increase your focus and improve productivity (anything to stop procrastinating at pantry!). Get ready as though you're going into the office, go get a coffee, wear nice clothes and do your hair. The little things can make a big difference!

Your Work Environment 

Create a dedicated work space at home so you can 'go to work' and switch off when you 'leave the office'. Make it a nice space to be in with plants, radio and oil diffuser - whatever fits your style.

Use Your Breaks To Get Outside 

If you can, get outside. Use your breaks to get some fresh air and exercise. It can be difficult to muster the motivation to go outside, but it really does help. There are countless studies supporting doing a 10 minute walk to improve productivity and support mental health. 

Know Your Productive Moments

No one sprints through their work for a full 8 hours every day, motivation naturally has ebbs and flows. Learn what your patterns are and create your schedule to support it.

Capitalize on your most productive moments by using them to tackle the more difficult or tedious tasks on your list, and use your slower moments to knock out the easier tasks. Create momentum that supports your natural human flow, you will feel better for it! 

Meal Planning

Preparing your meals the night before can help you stick to a healthy eating plan, use your time more productively during the day and keep you from wondering what you should order from Uber Eats. 

Sound Track Your Day

Use music to keep your focus, create playlists that help you concentrate and match your mood. I listen to dubstep to power through writing content and acoustic ballads for my more quiet moments - everyone is different! Find the soundtracks that work best for you. 

TV or Radio Noise

When I don't have music playing I usually have the TV or radio on in the background so I can hear other people talking. It's less lonely when I can hear the daily show talking about a new kitchen appliance in the background.

Have we missed anything? Let us know! We would love to hear what makes you most productive at home.

Also - we have a compulsory check list for our staff who are working from home, we all must assess our working area following safe working guidelines and send a report to HR with supporting photos. If this is something that would be useful to you, please give us a call and ask for our sales team. We would be happy to share it with you!