Six tips for working from home

Moving from the office to the home can take a bit of adjustment, Sabina Hegarty, Managing Director at Calibre Group Solutions, gives six key tips to make the move easier

Working from home can present a sea change for many people, and one that requires a new approach, different skills and discipline both from the person working and also the wider family.

It isn’t only about organising your time so you can concentrate on your to-do list, but in some cases also involves juggling home-schooling each day as well, but with a little planning it’s possible to balance the numerous tasks you may have. Here are six things I’ve found to benefit the shift from the office to the home:

1. Get washed and dressed for work each day.

That doesn’t mean fully suited and booted but being reasonably put together does mean you feel like you’re ready for business whatever that may look like in today’s world. If you stay in your pyjamas, your body language and work rate will remain sleepy.

2. Organise your workspace

Have everything around you need to do your job as if you were in your office.  If possible, place your desk near a window to give you a view outside world; it’s good for your mental wellbeing as well as shining light on your face when taking part video conferences – you may look like a silhouette with a Ready-Brek glow around you if not.

3. Plan your schedule each day

Work like you’re still in the office, remote meetings, telephone calls, emails and group chats should be planned into your rota for the day. This gives you focus, and time bound activities, ensure you’re prepped in plenty of time and makes the day go faster.

4. Discuss your schedule with your family

If your family know that when you’re at work, you can’t be disturbed it’ll make your life simpler. But don’t forget to build in small breaks to spend time with them and enjoy the privilege of being at home. If you have a partner also working from home, you will need to share out the time and remaining duties so everybody gets some work done.

5. Make the most of the extra time

If you normally commute use that time to do some home exercise, yoga, meditation or take a walk.  This is good for body, mind and soul and if you’ve not done much before due to lack of time or motivation, this may be the ideal time to start and perhaps learn a new form of exercise or stress relieving techniques. There are a lot of them available online.

6. Upskill

If there’s some training that you’ve been meaning to get done or catch up on, this is a really good time to do that; record your CPD points as they all add up quickly. Also use the opportunity to catch up on your business reading, journals, articles that you’ve not had time to digest and use the wealth of podcasts and business self-help tools online to enrich your mind. Use this time to tidy up on any paperwork that remains outstanding.

And for a bonus seventh point, keep in touch with your colleagues and keep talking.  The COVID-19 challenge will affect people differently, and stress can sometimes be ignored, one day it may be you that’s stressed and need someone to talk to, on another day it may be your colleague who needs some friendly support.

Calibre Group design and deliver sales, service and finance training to the automotive sector, with EQ and mental well-being an integral part of all its programmes.