With the arrival of Covid-19, more and more of us are being told to work from home. As a seasoned worker-from-home*, I can safely say that there’s a knack to it, especially if you want to be productive.
Here are my tips for making the best of working from home:
Have a dedicated work space. It needn’t be big, just a space that can be dedicated as the office. Taking over the kitchen table never works.
Begin the working day by showering and getting dressed. Slobbing about unwashed in and in pjs is not good for productivity or your well being.
Start and end your working day as if you’re in a ‘proper’ office – decide if you’re full-time, part-time or on a flexible pattern. Choose a start and finish time and try to stick to them.
Take your breaks at set times – say, 10.30 and 15.00. Don’t eat lunch at your desk. Ever.
Try and leave the laundry and housework to outside of your ‘working’ hours.
Don’t watch TV or surf the internet. Hours of work time are lost that way.
Be realistic. Children are sick, dogs need walks, you’ll have a dental appointment in the middle of the day. Build in a plan to work around the unexpected.
*During a conversation recently, someone commented that they didn’t realise I had a job. I have worked for our family business since 2008 (with the hours varying over the years to accommodate life with a baby/toddler/young child). When I began blogging in 2008, The Brainy One and I discussed which topics were available to be written about. We agreed that our working life was not one of them and I have stuck to that. My working life has nothing to do with my life as showcased on This West London Life.
Very good advice – and very appropriate for the situation we find ourselves in at the moment. I’m not quite sure how you coped when TBC was little, I know Rachel is very concerned about the feasibility of working from home and trying to entertain a 3 year old and a toddler, while also having her husband working from home as well!
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We had the loft converted to move the home office away from family life and I worked a lot less hours. As for now, I’m pretty much on extended leave until further notice … home schooling began today and I commented that I was grateful for only having the one child to try and teach.
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All sound advice. Both Mr Man & I have at different times worked from home & it certainly isn’t as easy as it sounds. Thankfully we do have separate designated areas for work. Good luck with home schooling, you will excel at it. Someone suggested that now is the time to teach kids how to do laundry, balance a cheque book & other life skills. My teaching friends have said now many parents are going to find out it wasn’t the teacher that was the problem. Oh so much to learn for all of us in the coming days & weeks.
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For a couple, separate working areas is key! Day 1 of home schooling has gone well …
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Very sound advice. My DH has been working at home for the last twenty years (the first in the company which employs him), and I asked him what he would recommend. He said “Make sure you have a comfortable and supportive chair”. I should let you know that his is actually a recliner in a quiet place, and he works perfectly happily with his laptop resting on his legs – and never a day of backache :).
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Great advice! 🙂
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