August 2020

Working from home, the Covid connection

What a difference a year makes?

The world is a changing place and never more so than over the last 7 months, Covid-19 arrived. Many of us have gone from nice comfortable office spaces to working from kitchen tables, bedrooms, living rooms, anywhere we can find a quiet place.

Working from home has its advantages but make sure you have the right environment to get the work done.

Working from home top tips….

Have a dedicated workspace: This is crucial as it will help you focus on the work you have to do. See it as going to the office, try to have the same space each day, ideally a quiet space!

Have a daily routine: When working from home, try and to stick to a routine as much as possible as it will help you focus on the work at hand and create a good working mindset. It’s very important to have clear start and end times to your working day.

Have a plan: Always have a plan for the day, you can create the plan last thing at night or first thing in the morning but have something that clearly shows your work tasks. You can write a list or add your tasks to Outlook. (wunderlist, todoist and trello are handy tools also)

Stay connected: Staying in touch has never been easier so if you are missing the office craic or office gossip, schedule some “you” time with colleagues. Video interviewing doesn’t have to be all work and no play but it’s always better to do these calls on your breaks!

Have some boundaries: Chances are you will be sharing your home with a partner, kids, friends, family or all of the above so make sure you have some boundaries in place. You could have office hours rules such as no shouting, no loud music or no playing inside. These should make your working from home hours more enjoyable.

Breaktime: This is one of the most important rules when working from home. It’s very easy to let time slip by but regular 10-15 minutes breaks for a coffee or to stretch is vital during the day, build the breaks in as part of your daily routine.

Working from home has its advantages but it can be tough too so always remember to be kind to yourself, cut yourself some slack. It may take a while to develop a routine that is right for you but it will come, you will get there.

If you would like to comment on this blog or any of our enterprisepeople blogs, I would love to hear from you, patrick@enterprisepeople.ie

Thanks and stay safe.