Working from home can be challenging, especially if you are used to working in an office environment. Here are some tips to help you keep your sanity when working from home:
Setup a dedicated workspace
Setting up a dedicated workspace at home is crucial for several reasons. First, it helps create a clear mental and physical separation between work and personal life, which can help you maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Second, it can increase your productivity by providing a designated area where you can focus on work-related tasks without getting distracted by household activities or family members.
Third, it promotes better organization, as you can keep your work-related items separate and organized, making it easier to find what you need and stay on top of your tasks.
Fourth, having a dedicated workspace projects a more professional image when interacting with colleagues, clients, or managers. Overall, setting up a dedicated workspace can help you work more efficiently, minimize distractions, and create a better work-life balance, all while projecting a more professional image.
Invest in the right tools for work
Hopefully your company knows the importance of giving you the right tools to do your job effectively and pain free. If not, these are the most important home office products you must have.
- Ergonomic keyboard and mouse: if you've never used a setup like this before, it can be an adjustment at first but it's well worth it. It's like wearing a new pair of glasses, give it a week and you're good to go.
- Standup desk: there's a ton to choose from, you can get fancy with it or get something affordable that still gets the job done to avoid you from sitting hours at a time. Sitting is the new smoking, it's WELL worth the investment.
- Headset: this will help you zone in on calls or meetings and avoid background distractions that are productivity killers. If you can get wireless, do it because you'll get the added ability to get up and move while on calls. If headsets aren't your thing, consider a speakerphone like the Audeze Filter instead.
- Proper office chair (not a $50 amazon chair, trust me your butt, and back will thank you later. Branch makes some very good value office chairs.)
Stick to a routine
Sticking to a routine when working from home is crucial for several reasons. it helps establish a clear work-life balance, as it ensures you have dedicated work hours and personal time. it promotes productivity by creating a structured schedule that allows you to prioritize tasks and complete them efficiently. Also, a routine provides structure and predictability, reducing stress and anxiety that can come from uncertainty.
A routine helps establish healthy habits, such as taking regular breaks, exercising, or meditating. it promotes accountability by holding you responsible for completing tasks during designated work hours. Overall, sticking to a routine can help you maintain a healthy work-life balance, increase productivity, reduce stress, establish healthy habits, and promote accountability
Take breaks
Sitting is the new smoking, take your breaks!
Taking breaks when working from home is essential for maintaining your physical and mental health, as well as promoting productivity. Taking regular breaks can help reduce physical strain, such as eye strain, back pain, or neck pain, that can result from prolonged periods of sitting or staring at a screen. Breaks can help reduce mental fatigue, allowing you to recharge your energy levels and improve your focus.
Taking breaks can promote creativity and inspiration, as stepping away from your work can help you generate new ideas and perspectives. Breaks can help reduce stress and anxiety, allowing you to better manage work-related challenges. Finally, taking breaks can help promote work-life balance, as it allows you to step away from work-related tasks and focus on personal activities or self-care. Don't overlook this, taking breaks when working from home is essential for maintaining your health, promoting productivity, and ensuring a healthy work-life balance.
Stay connected
If you're use to commuting to an office and found this is where most of your social interaction and relationships are built, this is going to be the hardest one for you. The good news is, you can adapt to change more than you may think.
There's several ways to stay connected when working from home, such as using video conferencing tools, setting up regular check-ins with your manager, using instant messaging with co-workers, and attending virtual events. It's very important to be proactive in reaching out to your colleagues, family and friends. Another tip to stay connected with the outside world if you're feeling like a man or woman on an island is to work from anywhere else outside of your home that has Wifi, like a coffee shop, library or restaurant.
Stay organized
Staying organized when working from home is crucial for several reasons.
- It helps you prioritize your tasks, ensuring that you're completing your most important work on time.
- It helps you maintain focus and reduce distractions, which can be especially challenging when working from home.
- It ensures that you are meeting deadlines, completing tasks efficiently, and producing high-quality work.
- It helps you stay on top of your work-related responsibilities and avoid missing important meetings, deadlines, or deliverables.
- It promotes a sense of control and reduces stress, as you can better manage your workload and responsibilities.
Set boundaries
Setting boundaries prevents overworking, promotes self care, improves your relationships and overall increases productivity. When you first start working from home it can almost feel like a whole new world. You have the freedom to work without a boss breathing down your neck or anyone seeing what you're actually doing, so it's even that much more important to set boundaries with those around you to stay on task. You have to treat working from home no different than actually going into the office. Would you stop to have breakfast at 10am with your significant other if you were working in the office? The answer is you wouldn't. So, don't fall into those types of traps just because you're working from home. It's a trap and you'll quickly find yourself out of a job.
Self care
At all costs this is even more important than ever working from home and yes it takes EFFORT. Do it, you won't regret it.
When working from home, self care is essential for maintaining a healthy work-life balance and preventing burnout. It means take intentional actions that prioritize your health and well-being, such as taking regular breaks, engaging in physical exercise, eating a healthy diet, getting enough sleep, and staying connected with friends and family. Additionally, self-care can involve engaging in activities that bring you joy, such as reading a book, practicing mindfulness, or pursuing a hobby. By prioritizing self-care when working from home, you can ensure that you are taking care of yourself both physically and mentally, which leads to keeping your sanity. Protect your sanity at all costs!
Self care resources from American Psychological Association
Summary
Overall, these are some tips that may help you adjust to your new work from home life. Work from home isn't for everyone and it comes with pros and cons. If you've implemented these tips and still find yourself spiraling when working rom home, it's probably time to find another career path that involves being around fellow humans on a daily basis. Don't let yourself stay in a job that "pays the bills" but sacrifices your mental sanity. I promise if you made it before work from home was a thing, you can find a work home that better fits your workstyle.
