How to work from home effectively

 

 

There has been a surge in working from home since the start of the global pandemic. The International Labour Organization says that by mid-April 2020, 59 countries had brought in remote working for non-essential publicly employed staff. Further research has shown as many as one in six employees worldwide could work from home, rising to one in four in more advanced economies.

With remote working’s popularity unlikely to wane, it’s vital to develop your own strategies in order to boost productivity, stay focused and motivated and ensure you have a clear line between work and home life.

Whether you’re planning on working remotely full time or splitting your time between the office and your home in the future, these handy tactics will make the process easier.

Set a routine and draw up a to do list in order to get motivated

 

Without the daily routine of leaving the house each morning and commuting to the office, motivation can be hard to come by. And while it can be tempting to use the time saved by not driving or taking the train to sleep in before jumping out of bed and checking emails, this is a surefire way to blur the lines between home and work life. Try and get up at the same time every day and make sure you shower and get dressed before opening your laptop. When you do get to your desk, draw up a new to-do list. Research has shown that ticking off even the smallest of tasks releases dopamine, the feelgood hormone. Do a few of those and your day will get off to a great start. Building momentum like this can also help prevent distraction from larger tasks as the day goes on.

Create a space just for work and ask for the right equipment

Not everyone is lucky enough to have a desk at home, let alone a separate room where they can work undisturbed. If possible, a solid strategy is to create a dedicated space for working. This could simply be at the kitchen or dining room table. Having an area that is used only for work means that when the working day ends, the rest of the house does not feel like the office.

It’s often the case that working from home can exacerbate back conditions, especially if you’re hunched over a laptop and using a chair not designed for long hours at a computer. Ask your employer if they are able to provide proper equipment, such as an ergonomic chair and a monitor. This will go some way to helping you create a proper workstation and cut down on the physical side effects of working from home.

Whether your job requires lots of note taking, video conference presentations or the need to collaborate on documents, Wacom’s pen tablets and displays can help by making it easier to interact and engage with your colleagues.

Stay in touch

It can be easy to feel isolated when working from home, so it pays to utilize video conferencing and chat tools to stay in touch with colleagues. It’s important to remember that catching up and speaking with others is a key part of office life, so there’s no harm in using these platforms to stay in touch with your colleagues. It can help foster a sense of togetherness, despite people being physically apart. A daily catch up call is a great way to check in and ensure everyone is doing ok.

Be strict about lunchtime and the end of the day

There’s a temptation when working from home to simply plough on, working through the time when you might have been heading out for lunch or even going past your usual finishing time. Make sure you stop for lunch at the same time every day and, if possible, get some fresh air too. A break from your screen and from the confines of home will help prepare you for the rest of the day.

There’s a temptation when working from home to simply plough on, working through the time when you might have been heading out for lunch or even going past your usual finishing time. Make sure you stop for lunch at the same time every day and, if possible, get some fresh air too. A break from your screen and from the confines of home will help prepare you for the rest of the day.

Likewise, aim to finish at the same time and ideally schedule in an activity that can bridge the time between the working day and time at home in the evening. A walk, a run or some time in the garden will make it easier to leave the working day behind and help your mind adjust to spending the evening hanging out in the same place that you’ve spent all day working in.

Productive working from home. Get started with Wacom One.

Wacom One is a great tool for making home working more productive. Use it to stay connected with colleagues, collaborate and share your ideas. The pen feels just like paper on the 13.3” screen, so you can work in a way that feels completely familiar. Link up your Wacom One to your computer, as well as certain Android devices. Open up a new world of productivity.

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