It’s been more than a year ever since the world entered into a global health crisis due to the lethal and fast-spreading coronavirus. Everything that can be moved to the digital sphere was moved to lessen the possibility of transmitting the virus, which affected businesses, schools, and day-to-day living.
To cope with the need to continue operating, businesses started exploring their remote working capabilities and discovered that this method is as effective as the traditional face-to-face medium. That’s partly the reason why remote work is said to be revolutionizing the corporate world.
In fact, because working remotely has been the most effective solution for business operations in the midst of a pandemic, many believe that it will continue to be the primary medium of work even after the lockdown restrictions are lifted. Or at least, until there’s no sign of impending doom caused by a global health crisis.
Of course, the work-from-home setup is no stranger to pros and cons. That’s because some people benefit greatly from being able to work without having to leave their house, and some feel like they’re being caged from the world beyond. No matter who you identify with, here are three tips you can use to create the perfect remote working setup at home:
Tip #1: Have a Dedicated Workspace
You might already know this if you’ve learned the hard way, but it’s important to have a dedicated workspace inside your house. And preferably, this dedicated workspace has a door that you can close, especially if you’re living with your family because they might get rowdy, which is disturbing.
This is because your focus and productivity are highly dependent on your ability to concentrate during your working hours. Having a dedicated workspace, such as a desk where your computer is stationed paired with a comfortable chair, will allow you to separate your responsibilities.
Creating that distinction between where your work ends and where your home life begins will allow you to set proper boundaries. If you don’t have a spare room to turn into your dedicated workspace, a corner of your house that doesn’t experience much activity can work just as well.
Tip #2: Ensure Favorable Working Conditions
It’s so easy to be distracted by the smallest things while you’re working, like a fly buzzing around your head when you’re trying to concentrate or your family whispering in hushed tones because they don’t want to bother you. It can also be something that you cannot control, like temperamental weather conditions.
These inconveniences, however minor they may seem, can take your focus away from the task at hand and on to trying to find the best solutions. That’s why before you start each working day, you must take the time to ensure that you can work under favorable conditions.
For instance, since summer is near and the heat waves are starting to make themselves known, your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system might already need a tune-up. If you didn’t do this during your spring-cleaning session, it can bode well for you to hire HVAC system professionals who can make sure that it won’t break down anytime soon.
This is something that you need to do before it happens, or what is otherwise known as preventive maintenance. By taking proactive measures to create favorable working conditions for yourself, not only will you eliminate the cost of inevitable repairs, but you will also avoid the loss of productivity during downtime.
Tip #3: Create a Working Schedule and Stick to It
When you’re going from your bed, to your desk, and back to the bed, you can lose all sense of time. This is a huge possibility if you have a flexible work schedule because then you won’t have to adhere to strict working hours per se.
In a situation like this, it can only go one of two ways: you either have the best time management skills and do all your tasks for the day when it’s needed, or you’re drowning in backlogs because you always fail to notice how much time has passed. That’s because it’s so easy to overwork when you’re at home.
If you have no problems with time management, then you should keep doing what you’re already doing. But if you’re like the countless other professionals who need more than 24 hours in a day to get everything done, the best solution to your problem is to create a working schedule that you can stick to.
There’s an emphasis on “you can stick to” because the schedule you create can only work if you make it work. On this schedule, you need to accommodate quick breathing breaks, enough time to eat proper meals, and undistracted time to work through your daily tasks.
Working from home may not be what you’re hoping for—or it could be everything—but it’s the best solution that anyone can think of while still trying to fight off a global pandemic. So, you might as well do what you can to adapt; after all, you’ve been taught to make lemonade out of lemons since you were a kid.
