What are your routines and tips for working from home?

2 months ago

Whether you've worked from home previously or are doing it for the first time now, we'd love to know your tips and routines for a good working-from-home experience. Do you set office hours or are you flexible? Are video calls an integral part of your day?

Please share your thoughts and ideas below and help to inspire others.

Comments (10)

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jbell66
10 days ago
Yoga first thing. Get the mind focused for the day and at the end of the day yoga to reflect and take stock. Or 4 shorter half hour flows so important to keep moving.
mrn_fusion
13 days ago
Schedule in thinking time to plan and re-asses if necessary. Each day can bring a new perspective.
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gtracey26
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Number 5 for me sitting on the couch and posture all wrong now have a sore back and hips
Katherine
last month
last modified: last month
We are fortunate in the current situation, in that our office is already located in the basement of our house. In designing it, we deliberately chose "office" decor - including hardwearing grey carpet, square shaped flush-to-ceiling LED lighting, and white walls to maximise natural light.

Working successfully from home requires two things: discipline, and a routine. On a work day, set your alarm. Get up, shower, dress, put on your make and definitely put on SHOES! Even if the only people seeing you during the day are your partner, kids and the cat or dog, proper personal care and attire will make you feel better and more business-oriented.

Get AWAY from your desk for lunch, and eat your lunch at lunch time - schedule it in to your daily routine so that you don't hyper-focus on a project, and then suddenly realise at 2pm that your stomach is growling: have a planned time for lunch and eat it outside in the sunshine or in another room away from your desk - give yourself that mental break.

I like Renmack's audio file suggestions of background noise - I do that as well, because it actually drowns out the other "house" sounds and helps me focus better.
renmack
last month
1. Keep to a routine, get dressed & brush teeth. Attire can be casual but definitely needs to be different clothes than the ones you slept in or lounge about on the weekends in. Wash face, comb hair and brush teeth. These tell your brain this is a work day.

2. Use an app to remind you to take a break. You won't have the regular office interruptions so can get hyperfocused.

3. Avoid using the TV for background noise. If needed, play audio files (they even make office noise backgrounds, but I'm more partial to either coffee shop, crackling fire, or ocean)

4. Good ergonomic setup. This can be done affordably without causing disruption to your household. There are great videos that show you how to create a better physical space when you work from home, even if you are working from the dining table.

5. Stick to boundaries. 'Clock out' at the end of your normal work time and shut things down so you aren't tempted to check one more thing. At the end of my work from home days, I will shut down the laptop and then physically leave my flat and lock the door. If I'm lucky I'll take the opportunity for a walk outside around the block but usually I just immedialy unlock the door and re-enter the flat. This seems to give me the pavlovian click that I've left work and now I'm home.
Saira Khan
2 months ago
I change into smart casual wear and do my face to prepare for working from home. I don't stay in my pj's no matter how tempting.
I tend to start and finish earlier than if I had to go to the office.

I have a nice set up in the kitchen.
HouzzUK
2 months ago
Great suggestions @Make My Blinds, @Property Reviver Ltd and @CPR Architects! Keep them coming guys.
PRO
CPR Architects
2 months ago
Get up at your usual time, do some exercise before starting work. Stick to working hours and take a good lunch break with another short walk. Use video calls for meetings.
PRO
Property Reviver Ltd
2 months ago
I have worked from home for many years now and one thing that I find important is to be able to physically separate my work life from my home life.

If you can dedicate a room as your workspace this is the best option. You can then shut the door on work at the end of your working day. If this is not an option and you are using a dining table. Use a set of drawers or a box that you can pack your mobile office into at the end of the day.

If you have a guest room, you are not going to have guests to stay for a while so consider turning that into your temporary home office.

If you have a summer house in your garden then consider turning that into your temporary office.

Look around at what furniture you have and how you can re-purpose it to create your temporary home office.

I hope you find this helpful.

Stay safe and stay at home.
PRO
Make My Blinds
2 months ago
Controlling the lighting is key when working from home, whether you're working from your home office or your living room. With the newly sunny weather it's easy to get distracted by glare, or that "I wish I was outside" thought that we often get. A good wooden venetian blind is a great way of controlling the light, so you ensure that your workspace isn't too light, nor too dark.

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What are your routines and tips for working from home?

Comments (10)

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