More People are Working From Home Than Every Before
For many people, the coronavirus pandemic is the first time that they are working from home. At first, it may seem like a treat to be able to work from the couch in your pajamas. The truth is that working from home presents many challenges to most people. Some people who regularly work from home say they can be more productive while working from home. The main reason is that after a while, you develop a routine, and you know what you can and cannot do during the day to cut down on distractions and be productive.
It takes a while to create a productive workspace at home. If you are using a company-provided laptop, the computer will more than likely already be loaded with the appropriate software and with the ability to connect to your work network through a Virtual Private Network (VPN).
If you are using your personal computer, you might have several challenges with getting connected to the VPN and installing the software you need to work from home. Most companies will not allow you to use your personal computer for work since it is a security risk, and they have to be careful about software licenses. With the Coronavirus Pandemic, most companies did not have the time or the funds available to distribute the laptops that were needed. The timing forced many people to use their personal computers.
For people who do not typically work from home, they are also first dealing with the task of creating a productive workspace. They are learning how to work from home without letting everything from the kids or the pets, their spouse, the laundry, or the television be constant sources of disruptions during the day.
Here are a few things you can do to set yourself up for success while working from home, especially if you have a house full of family members.
Create a morning routine
When you go to the office, you know what time you have to get out of bed and exactly when you have to leave to go to work. If you are catching a commuter train on the Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North, or New Jersey Transit, you probably know when you have to leave down to the minute. When you get to the office, you probably have a routine that you follow on most days. You might stop for coffee or breakfast, stop to talk to the security guard in the lobby of your building or spend a few minutes with some coworkers before starting your day.
Your morning routine might include things like going to the gym or making your children’s lunch for school. Whatever you have to do, or want to do, is usually part of some routine.
Create a “working from home routine.” Even if your morning commute is to just walk into the next room, you should create a routine to get there. Wake up early, get on the treadmill, take a shower, have breakfast, get your kids ready for their day. Sit with your coffee and the newspaper for a little while. Create a routine that will allow you to get through your morning without rushing and without getting stressed out. Doing the same things every morning makes starting the day easier since you know what you have to do without guessing or worrying that you forgot to do something once you start work for the day.
Worktime is worktime. Be “at work.”
When you are in the office, you are not thinking about the laundry, the dishes, or other chores. While you are working from home, you might be tempted to put a load of laundry in or load the dishwasher.
If you must do these things, do them before you start work for the day. You might think that putting in the laundry is only a couple of minutes, but chores never only take a couple of minutes. If you start to load the dishwasher, you realize that it is still full of clean dishes from the last load, so you have to put those dishes away. Once you load the dishwasher, you now have to clean the sink and wipe down the counters. Next thing you know, you are away from your desk for 45 minutes, and you have now fallen behind on your work.
If you cannot do these chores before work, save them for after work. If you usually do these tasks after work, it should be no different now. In the process of trying to save a few minutes here and there, you will lose a couple of hours of productivity, which you then have to make up for by working late.
Use email, your cell phone and video conference effectively
Since everyone is working from home, more emails and phone calls are happening since you cannot just get up and walk over to the next cubicle or office. In some cases, bosses who want to keep track of employees might call more often or look for some sort of proof that you are at your computer working.
There are always times when you have to drop what you are going to answer an email or make a phone call. More often than not, you can screen emails and phone calls. Those that are not urgent can wait a little while. Take five minutes out of every half-hour to go through all of your emails and prioritize what you open. If you spend more time in email, figure out the time you need to handle your email and messages effectively. Regardless of the time you need, stick your schedule so you can get your work done on time and take care of the email and other messages in a scheduled and planned manner.
Create a schedule for your kids
While you are figuring out how to work from home, your kids are figuring out how to get their schoolwork done from home. They will be using online tools and video apps to speak with their teachers during the day, but they are not in constant communication with their teachers. They are going to have questions and need help. They are going to want lunch and know when they can take a break to watch television or play video games.
Create a schedule for your kids so they can also effectively get through their day. You will even know when you have to take a break to make lunch or answer questions. If your kids are older and can do their work and make their lunch on their own, then you can also add some chores to their schedule. Let them take care of the laundry. If your kids are involved in extra-curricular activities that are now meeting online, make sure those activities are also on their schedule.
Let them know when it is ok to come to you with questions during the day and when you need to concentrate on work. This way, they do not bother you in the middle of a conference call or while you are trying to complete a project or just get through your everyday tasks without distraction.
The key to success while working from home is to create an environment that is conducive to paying attention to work and cuts down on distractions. It might take a while to come up with the perfect formula. Change your routine or your kid’s schedule as needed to come up with a more productive plan. It will take some trial and error before you get it right. Once you do get it right, you might even find that you can get more work done at home than in the office and still find a way to have laundry done by the end of the day.
