Working Remotely 

With the recent impact of the global pandemic most people have resorted to working from home. For people that are used to getting up and going to work everyday this change in lifestyle can be hard to adjust to for individuals and for businesses. Below are some tips and tools for the most efficient ways of working remotely. 

Maintain a routine

Make sure to wake up at the same time everyday to keep your days consistent and normal. Set a morning routine for yourself and stick to it during the week. Make sure to save time for self care throughout the day. Do an hour of something that soothes you like yoga, mediation, or painting everyday to maintain a healthy mind. Set specific break times for yourself and let the people you report to know about these breaks to keep yourself accountable. Establish a finish time for your day to separate work hours from relaxing at home. Set up a home office space that is away from your bed, this will make it easier for your brain to separate working from relaxing. 

Minimize distractions 

Working from home can be distracting and requires self discipline, with the combination of social media, your couch, and nobody over your shoulder, it can be easy to lose yourself in hours of online distractions. Try turning off notifications from your apps or blocking social media that you don’t need for your work hours. Use reader mode to read articles online without floating ads trying to capture your attention, or use incognito mode to disrupt algorithms and ultimately become less distracted. 

Keep yourself in the loop

It’s easy to work a whole day from home without virtually seeing or talking to anyone from the office, this can eventually make you feel isolated and distant from your coworkers. Make time to call or Facetime someone from the office everyday, this will keep you accountable and make you feel less alone. It will also keep you more connected to your work and maintain your motivation. 

Set ground rules with people in your space

It can be a challenge to work from home while your family is there. With kids running around or dogs needing out there are many opportunities for distractions while you are trying to get work done. Let the people in your space know what your schedule is and when you are available. This way people around you can keep you accountable and minimize distractions for you. 

Set time for movement

In times like these it’s easy for us to stay sitting inside for 12 hours straight. Getting up and doing a home workout or going for a walk in your neighbourhood will give you energy and a break all at the same time. Daily exercise is a great routine to get into when working from home because it will ensure that you are spending some time on yourself and it will keep you motivated and energized.