Until recently, for many of us, the vision of working from home was a dream! However, since the pandemic locked us in our nests, the dream is turning into a nightmare. We struggle with inadequate conditions, the lack of social relations, and fatigue resulting from being stuck inside four walls. We often worry about our children, partner, home, and work responsibilities. The crowd of thoughts, tasks, and the lack of our own space often take us to the limit of endurance, we stop being effective, and we fall into apathy. But it doesn’t have to be that way! You can find something positive in every situation. We will help you create an effective home office in a few simple steps!
1. First of all – get some sleep!
Are you working at home and can’t get up on time? Sleep is a pillar in our physical and mental health. However, Netflix, social media, and computer games may cause you to sleep later. An evening of relaxation is tempting, but to work efficiently, you need sleep. Therefore, follow a few simple rules:
- Turn on the sleep mode of your phone, thanks to which you won’t check your phone, and you won’t be disturbed by incoming messages.
- Read before going to bed – if you like it, and reading relaxes you, go for it.
- Wake up at the same time every day!
- Make yourself comfortable – an appropriate duvet, a comfortable mattress, and an ergonomic pillow are your must-haves!
- Turn off the lights, cover the windows, put on a blindfold, and enjoy a long, restful sleep.
2. Get dressed!
Do you work in your pyjamas? Do you get up 5 minutes before you start working? Introduce yourself to discipline. Get up at the same time and get ready to go to work as if you had to leave the house. Put on the right clothes, have breakfast, and start your day. Our body gets used to various rituals – putting on pyjamas subconsciously signals our body that it is time to relax and sleep. Therefore, working in this outfit is not conducive to efficiency, and you will feel sleepy and lazy.
3. Work discipline, i.e., a list of duties
Set your working hours and make a to-do list. This way, you will separate your private life from your professional life; then find time for a walk and a nap. Rest is just as important as work! If your boss does not impose specific work hours on you, plan your daily routine and, very importantly, stick to that time frame. Remember that around 1 or 2 p.m., the body’s performance drops and demands a break. Be sure to eat a nutritious meal, so you can go back to work full of energy!
Keep your to-do list relatively short. Don’t set yourself unattainable goals, as this can create a lot of pressure and ultimately frustration. Give yourself positive reinforcement with every task you complete. If you are working on long-term projects, set a deadline for yourself to finish these tasks. Always make them a few days before the deadline imposed by your employer, thanks to which you will have a time buffer. Should any unexpected obstacles arise, you will be calm and will make it without any problems.
4. Plan your breaks – The Pomodoro Technique
Have you heard of the Pomodoro Technique? It’s a technique that involves working intensively for 25 minutes, followed by a 5-minute break. Such a system allows us to focus on the task, performing it quickly and effectively, and it sharpens our minds. Try to work with this technique. However, if you prefer not to use this system, try to keep track of your time. Then check how long specific activities take you. You may find you could complete a task faster but that a lot of time is wasted on other distracting activities. With that knowledge, you can eliminate some of these distracting stimuli. Another option is to diversify your tasks – divide the time into writing time, answering calls time, and other tasks time.
5. Take care of your body
Mental work and a sedentary lifestyle are not beneficial for our health. Often, we do not even realize that we are adopting an incorrect body position (we slouch) or focusing our eyes on objects in close proximity for too long. And that all contributes to general pain. Stress, anxiety, and insecurity in the labour market, as well as fear of the future, can contribute to poor health. Take care of your body. Plan physical activity – walking, cycling, or running. While working, pay attention to properly adjusted furniture, the distance of the computer monitor, and correct position while sitting. You can use the Home Office Kit from https://gravityblankets.co.uk/product/home-office-set/
Experience for yourself that working from home can be fun!
