Powered by: 5 Tops tips on working from home and getting home from work (ubizblog.com)

Can I work from home? This simple question became a new norm when applicants undergo an interview to get their desired job. The response now will be likely affirmative since we have encountered a significant transition in the perception of our new workspace realm due to COVID-19. We all live in the era of the Internet and technology, regular meetings with senior managers and other teams can be effortlessly run on Zoom, or similar platforms. However, it’s a theory that “Nothing beats Live interaction between individuals”. (Thriveglobal, 2017). There is an essential criteria for professional success, called Productivity. 

Working from home sounds ideal: no time lost in heavy traffic and fuel money spent, no more rush hour and feeling overwhelmed while dropping children off at school and hysterically following the GPS as it shows red, highlighting heavy traffic on the way to the office. Let’s make our life easy, more comfortable and enjoyable! Just give yourself a break, breath, set up a computer and start working productively from home. Easy fix! Well, is it though? 

The question raises as working from home becomes working remotely, and just like any aspect of our life, it intervenes in a well-established routine and causes a variety of unexpected challenges. The right mindset is the critical challenge that is always the hardest to adjust. In the literature it has been explained, “Get your environment right, and your mindset will follow”. (Sue Stockdale, 2020). It shows that we need to ensure setting up the right work vs leisure atmosphere within our home walls to start with.

So, how to work from home and separate home from work?

• Set up your working space, a desk with a business calendar

Create a strong separation, a physical boundary, between, for instance, a playroom or your living space with your working area. The visual distinction will assist in feeling ‘at work’. Claire Burt from My Inspired Lifestyle, noted at it takes a considerable boundary to work from home. The physical boundary is a good starting point to direct your mind accordingly. Advise your family that it’s a working desk, not another space for your children to play with. It could be uneasy and impossible at times; we are humans. Yet, try and make that effort for you.

• Ensure you are well-presented

It is an opinion that your appearance matches your mindset (Joan Marie Whelan, 2021). Wouldn’t you show up to the corporate office in untidy clothing with uncombed hair? Apply your everyday work sharp look when working remotely, it helps.

• Set up a time for a lunch break

Advise your family when it’s time to take lunch together. So, they will be looking forward to a quick visit/break just like they occasionally attend your office. Utilise your outdoor area for a quick read if alone and switch off. You deserve a break. Claire Burt added that “it’s essential to set up boundaries around time blocking”. By being organised and disciplined with your time management, you will see a clear distinction between work and leisure.

• Ensure you are in touch regularly with your team
• 
  

Ask questions and participate in talks, discussion. Be proactive and present online. By maintaining daily relationships with your co-workers, it guarantees solid partnership and long-term trust. Be involved. “A growth mindset can be fostered in groups such as classrooms, businesses, or sports teams”. (Environment affects mindset, 2017). Arrange a quick coffee online with your upline. Are you talking regularly with one of your co-workers in the office? Spare 5 minutes to stay in touch and ask about a weekend and plan for a day. Design the same routine transferred to you working from home.

• Go for a short walk
• 
  

Time to switch off and get back home. Make your daily commute a walk around the block, shut down your computer at 6 o’clock and go ‘home’. Acknowledge the fact that we need physical movement, especially after a long day in the office. Short walks will boost your energy, take your mind away from work, improve your mood and stimulate creative thinking.

Back home from work seems to be a paradox when we shut the computer down and saying Hi to all. It’s not a physical journey from point A to point B. It’s a mental ability to acknowledge the fact of being back and let go of the workload. We live in a new world full of opportunities to adjust. Stay bold and connected while working from home but don’t forget the switch off button.