It is evident that working from home will be “normal” for the foreseeable future. For some of us, it’s business as usual. For others, it’s a major shift.
These simple strategies, from clearing the clutter from your desk to closing your office door on weekends, will help you stay sane working from home.
1. Limit Distractions
When you need to hunker down and do focused work, limiting distractions is key.
Find a place with no distractions. That includes from your children.
A valuable skill you can give your children during this time is how to be self-reliant as far as making a snack, getting dressed, brushing their teeth and owning their routine.
2. Stick to a Schedule & Don’t Work on Weekends
Once you’ve figured out the work-from-home schedule that works best for you, do your best to stick to it. Staying consistent and developing a routine helps you to be more productive.
Don’t work on weekends because you also need a break and a chance to unplug and get away. It can be easy to blur the lines between the work day and the rest of your day, so having some clear-cut off time when you aren’t working is healthy.
3. Brighten Your Desk
Clean the clutter and figure out what would make you happy to keep on your desk—ornaments, Legos, model cars, photos, etc.—and place them in the corner to glance over at every once in a while.
Having a succulent or small trinket watching over your workspace will put a smile on your face.
4. Get Dressed
You’re working from home now, so what’s stopping you from staying in your pajamas all day every day? Nothing, really, but that could be hindering your overall productivity.
Despite what most people think, working in pajamas is not a good idea. You should be comfortable, but bathing and dressing help to establish the moments of rest versus those of work.
In other words, continue to take the time to get ready each morning. While you don’t necessarily need to do your hair, put on makeup or trim your beard, you still want to feel good, awake and ready to take on the day.
5. Use Video Calling
Whether you’ve been fully remote all along or you’re newly working from home, video calling is a great way to create personal connections from a distance. Any time we have a call or meeting with a co-worker, no matter how often we may work one-on-one with that teammate, we make it a video call.
Plus, who doesn’t want a sneak peek of your cat on your lap or your toddler running around in the background to brighten up their day?
James Feldman, CSP, CITE, CPIM, CPT is a globally recognized business advisor, mentor, innovation Sherpa, author, speaker and serial entrepreneur who has guided hundreds of companies and thousands of individuals around the world toward optimum performance levels. He advises companies on building strong customer-centric, innovative organizations that deliver transformational growth to achieve goals, overcome challenges, and think “inside the box” to solve problems.
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