Tired, stressed and sick of your own house? These 7 actionable work from home tips come from the responses shared with us as part of our recent LH Agenda x Naked Wines competition. They were so great, we wanted to share them with everyone else!
1. Create a great work from home space
Designating a place for work at home helps set a work and life balance for many people. Having a place to go where you (and your partners, kids and pets) understand that your focus is on work when you are there is really important. When you are not in your work from home place, everyone knows you are on a break and open to play, relax or otherwise be distracted.
Homes are not designed for working! Taking some time to really think about what will make you comfortable, productive and happy in your work from home place is paying dividends to those who have invested in it.
The good news is…it really is all about you! If you like music, play the tunes! If you like quiet to focus, set yourself up in a way that blocks out noise as much as you can. You don’t have to clear this one with your co-workers.
2. Set a work from home routine
Routine is really working for people right now. Two types of routine came up in the shared responses. The first was maintaining elements of the regular “going to work” routine, even though the location of work had changed. Getting up, exercising (or not!), having a shower and getting “dressed for work” helps some people to get their day off to a good, productive start.
Others find that embracing a new routine enables them to adopt and adapt to their new lifestyle. They are claiming back their former commute time and using it to exercise, meditate or even start dinner prep early so that evenings are free and fun. Whichever type of routine you choose, having some self-imposed structure is proving to help people keep their work day on track.
3. Keep up the To Do lists
There was a lot of list lovers in our respondents! Who doesn’t love crossing things off? Whether it is in Asana, or in your LH Agenda Make Your Mark notebook, a list can help you feel directed and less overwhelmed. Plus, it’s a great feeling to know you have achieved something. Which brings us to the next tip.
4. Plan rewards, large and small
Set a reward to look forward to when approaching the end of a particularly chunky piece of work, the end of the day, or the end of the week. Having something to anchor on is a powerful driver for many people. Top incentives for smaller goals include chocolate, coffee, playtime with kids, dogs and kittens and of course… wine! For larger milestones, schedule zoom parties with friends or family and plan to book the ultimate getaway when we finally can. (The day is coming, trust us.)
Get more out of every day, at work and at play, with our range of Day Organisers that will up your game. Its unique layout will clarify your priorities, stimulate productivity and give you a daily dose of motivation.
5. Take work from home breaks
It’s easy to get absorbed in what you are doing and forget to move when there are no visual clues around like others going for breaks or stopping by for a chat. But we’re here to tell you – scheduling regular breaks is important. Our respondents have been maximising the effect of their breaks to reset and refresh by playing with their kids, cuddling their dog, going for short walks, or sitting outside in the sunshine. We also loved this idea for shorter breaks – having a dance party whilst waiting for the kettle to boil!
6. Practise gratitude
Shifting our thoughts consciously from things that are bothering us to what we are grateful for has a powerful impact on how we feel. Our respondents were motivated and inspired by gratitude toward their partners, their friends and family, their colleagues and work teams. This is helping them to cope with the many challenges with, and circumstances surrounding, working from home.
7. Give back
Several people shared with us that taking their mind off their own problems to help out others at work and home actually helped themselves to adjust, stay motivated feel connected and safe. Adopting an attitude of service, can inspire you to do what you need to do.
Working from home is not easy. We’re so glad to see you learning effective strategies to make the process not only more bareable, but in many cases, more enjoyable. Thank you for sharing your fantastic perspectives and great tips for others going through the same.
Note: Our Work from Home (like a boss) competition in partnership with Naked Wines has now closed. Congratulations to our winner, Nicole F from NSW.