By now, a majority of companies have moved from working in the office to working from home to stay safe during the pandemic. Since remote life might be more of a long-term situation, it’s time to make yourself comfy in your home office!
Set up a dedicated office space
Work with what you’ve got! You don’t have to build out a spacious area for work (but if you have that luxury, then go for it!). Use your existing space to create a cozy work environment, ideally away from your bedroom or at least away from your bed to save the snoozing for after work.
Here’s a few options to consider for your office space:
- Clean out a corner area. Sort through those items you’ve been meaning to sell and make room for your office area.
- Turn your closet into a workspace. All you need is a small desk that can fit in your closet and an ergonomic chair that you can pull up to your desk when you open your closet doors. You can store the chair in your closet or nearby area.
- Invest in an ergonomic chair if your employer didn’t already provide you with one. Your back will thank you.
- If you’re working on a laptop, consider finding an adjustable laptop stand. The stand will help bring the computer screen at eye level so you’re not looking down or craning your neck.
- Set up shop at a nice window with a view.
Decorate your “office”
There’s something about decorating an office space that makes it more enjoyable when you’re working from home. Add some fun knick-knacks to spruce up your office.
Here are some ideas:
- Hang up a dry erase calendar (because we know we’re all still trying to remember what day it is).
- Display your favorite Pop!
- Pin sticky notes with your favorite quotes from coworkers on a bulletin board
- Show some plant love with a desk succulent
- Keep your earbuds in a fun case on your desk or find a spiffy headphone holder
- Add a daily calendar (doubling up since the whole day, month, date thing is still tough)
- Decorate the space behind you for video calls
Set reminders to step away from the screen
Working from home doesn’t mean you always need to be glued to your desk. Remember when you were in an office, grabbing a snack in the kitchen, chatting with coworkers, and getting your steps in? Looking away from your screen and moving throughout the day can help your mind and body.
If you use Slack, you can set personal reminders with Slackbot to remind you to get up and move. I have my Slackbot set to remind me to look away from my screen every 20 minutes for 20 seconds at something 20 feet away – the 20/20/20 rule. 😊
Create reminders in a way that works for you so you can take a break from the computer. Take some time for yourself so you can come back to your work feeling refreshed.
Overcommunicate with your team
Since you can’t walk over to someone’s desk to ask a question or share your progress on binging Schitt’s Creek, you’ll need to overcommunicate with your team online. We’re talking Slack, Discord, Jive, Hangouts, Zoom, Teams, all the tools and all the conversations.
Be mindful of your communication methods
One really important thing to consider when you’re working from home is how you communicate. The question or idea in your head might translate differently when you type it out.
Try to be as specific as possible when you’re communicating with your team. Include all the details in emails and chats, and attach photos or screenshots.
You can also set up a phone or video call if it’s easier to discuss something that way. After the call, be sure to document the conversation in an email or a project management tool so you can easily reference the details and follow up on deliverables later.
Shut down at the end of the day
A common employer concern when they transitioned to remote work was that employees weren’t going to do the work. But working from home can cause the opposite to happen: employees can feel inclined to work more and to work later at home.
Since you’re not commuting, you’re not trying to beat the traffic or the rain. You’re just walking into a different room at the end of the day, so it can be easy to continue typing and clicking away even after your shift ends. Remember to clock out and shut down. You deserve it!
Add a fun little desk light to help train your brain when to work and when to “go home.” When you clock in for the day, turn the light on. When you clock out, turn off the light and stop working.
Take it one day at a time
Try to take your workweek one day at a time. Don’t stress about that meeting or that interview. Focus on your tasks for today and take it from there.
Questions?
Contact our team if you have questions about working from home, interviewing at home, or if you just want to chat about your next career move. We’re just a phone call or email away! 👋
