Since the events of 2020, more people than ever have been working from home. For many, this has been a wonderful opportunity to spend less time travelling and have more time at home. However, along with all the benefits, there are also catches that can make working from home a double-edged sword. Let’s look at how to make it less like that.
Use Software to Help You With Work
There are many types of software out there that can help you manage your day at the home-office. Try to speak to other people who work from home and see what they use to help them. You can ask them ‘what is a webinar platform used for?’, and how it can increase my productivity.
You may also be able to share some of the software used by your company so that you can share information and access files and other members of staff.
Set Yourself a Schedule
If you are finding it hard to balance your work and life at home, then one of the best ways to overcome this is to set yourself a schedule. There are many apps on the market that will help you draw up a schedule, then you can have it on your computer or print it out and have it on the wall or door.
Put your regular working hours on the schedule and then set an alarm each day for your lunch and the finish of your day. When the alarm goes off, finish what you are doing and leave your work space. If you are doing overtime, schedule this into your day and again, set an alarm so you don’t work too long.
Create a Dedicated Work Area
To go along with setting yourself a schedule, you should also have a dedicated work area if possible. This will then be where you do your work, and you can walk away from it when you are at home.
It doesn’t have to be a separate room, though this would be the ideal. It can be the corner of a room, or even anywhere you can fit a desk and chair. This will help you to keep both parts of your life apart and allow you to stop being in the ‘work’ environment all the time.
Avoid Looking at Work Emails and Messages
It can be tempting to check your emails and messages from work even when you are not working. However, you should try to avoid this, as it will likely lead to you doing something else work related when you should be at home.
Make it clear to your work colleagues that you are not going to check your messages or emails when not at work, that way they won’t expect an answer from you and may leave messaging you until you are at work.
When you work from home, learning to separate your work life from your home life can be difficult. This is why it is important to try and put some or all of these suggestions in place to help you find the balance you need.
