Working from home is fast becoming the new normal.
In South Australia, which is relatively unaffected by COVID these days, only around 60 per cent of workers have returned to the CBD. Many are still working from home and are likely to continue doing so for the foreseeable future. In fact, companies like Facebook have said 50 per cent of its jobs will be remote within 10 years; Twitter is letting almost all its global workforce work from home forever.
Here are some helpful tips to make the work from home experience more productive:
- Dress for the day – don’t start and finish in your PJs. Pretend you are going to the office at a regular starting time each day and make sure you finish work at a set time too.
- Have a designated space to work – forget squeezing onto the kitchen table, if this is a long-term arrangement, arrange a space that is suitable for working with a suitable chair and access to light. And keep the space neat and tidy like any office area.
- Take time out and leave the office for a walk each day – it’s important to get out of the house every now and again to take a break from desk activities. Try to catch up with a colleague face-to-face if possible a few times a week.
- Manage your time effectively. Keep a checklist of jobs to complete each day and work your way through them, checking each one off.
- Feeling grateful. Think about all the things that are great about working from home and try to make the most of it. That might mean being able to get to school pick-up earlier, not having to rush as much in the mornings, not sitting in traffic, or having a nicer outlook from your desk. Reflecting on these points will aid mental health.
For more tips on working from home and boosting productivity go to: