Since the pandemic, the onset of work from home has been on a roaring rise. Many organizations have switched to working from home. The flexibility in hiring talent from anywhere globally and the leisure of saving on workspace rent and other office amenities is bliss. Since more organizations are continuously helping their employees upgrade their skills to stay more relevant in today’s stiff competition.
So while work from home is on the rise and often preferred by employees in India, you need to be aware of factors when working from home. It can get boring and mentally exhausting to keep working from your home’s work office. Thus it is always advised to indulge in self-care exercises and take some time off to stretch especially working long hours.
This blog explores what you should be doing, especially when working from home. Note that you do not need to do anything extra and stretch an already tight schedule. These tips are simple and easy to follow and do not require any hefty investments. While there are many flexible jobs for women, being able to strategically and carefully plan your day is important to ensure you are being productive and scaling in your career.
The Ultimate Guide to Working From Home in 2022
Dress up when you show up for work: The power of dressing up is often underestimated. While you may ask if wearing that favorite shirt of yours to work could be worth it since you will be working by yourself most of the time, trust us, it is incredibly helpful. Since the clothes you wear at home during regular non-office hours are comfortable and cozy. By wearing such attires during work hours, you may feel more relaxed and might not be able to get work done.
Dress-related motivation is very real, and just by dressing up nice, you can experience a huge difference in motivation to complete more tasks and work efficiently. The most common work wears you can opt for at home include a shirt and comfortable cotton trousers (ideal for both men and women) or a Kurti that is professional looking and comfortable at the same time.
If you are used to wearing watches at work, consider wearing them while working from home too! The idea is to make yourself feel at work mentally.
Have a dedicated working space that is used for nothing else but work: Dedicated workspaces are an important part of working from home. These spaces give you the space to work quietly and create a boundary between work-life and personal life. Sure working from bed sounds like a great idea, and you might have told yourself multiple times how it can help with the backache, but the truth is, a bed is meant for sleeping, and a work desk is meant for working. Having a dedicated workspace will boost your productivity and encourage you to devote yourself to work completely.
This will also encourage the practice of not thinking about work outside work. But here is the thing, having a work desk and a chair is not enough. Consider adding elements to make your workspace something you would look forward to if you want to. This can include adding a whiteboard where you can write all your important tasks for the day, some plants for greenery, and tech accessories that support how you work.
Make mindful investments in tech: If you spend most of your time sitting on your chair, it is best to invest in a well-cushioned and spacious chair with back support and neck support. If you type a lot, consider investing in a mechanical keyboard and a hand support trackpad that offers adequate support while your hand is resting on the keyboard. Invest in a larger screen to be able to see everything more clearly.
This has two benefits; you will not be straining your back in an attempt to get a clearer view of what’s on the screen; second, you can sit back and relax while working.
Practice stretching exercises: Long hours sitting at work can get tiring for the body. The spine gets decompressed due to the stress that comes from sitting in one position for long periods. Stretching ensures that your spine gets decompressed and has ample activity to relax. The hip joint also undergoes compression, which is often why people experience lower back pain. With regular stretching, you are freeing your spine and the hip joint from stress from having sat long hours.
Indulge in self-care practices: Self-care practices are important, especially when you are working from home. The familiarity with the home workspace can instill the feeling that time is passing slowly and maybe there’s more time before work ends. This can result in working elongated hours and burnout. To prevent this, indulge in self-care activities that are a break and ensure that you are taking care of yourself after work.
Note that these activities don’t have to be necessarily elaborative; cooking your favorite meal counts as a self-care activity, going out for a small tea break, putting on a face sheet mask, taking a walk after work, or simply listening to music is also a form of self-care. With the rise in the number of employees reporting burnout every year, it is crucial to take care of yourself.
Work during work hours only: Working overtime is a tendency to avoid as it disrupts how your other life processes go about. If your required work hours per week are anywhere between 40 to 45 hours, try to work out all your tasks during the work hours only.
Establish ground rules for family members: Work from home is often misinterpreted. The current generation has either experienced or has seen their peers work remotely. This makes the concept of working from home in some way or the other known to people today. To make sure that the family is able to understand the work boundaries that you have created, it is best to sit with them and talk about the dos and don’ts when you are working. These ground rules can be simple and easy to remember for everyone. Some ideas include:
- Inform them when the work gets over, and you are available for household chores
- Have someone take care of the children at home
- Make it clear that members should avoid coming into your workspace unless urgent.
- Consider spending your lunch and tea breaks with the family
- Plan day outs and trips with your family as and whenever possible
Keep an eye on how you are using your phone: It is common to check your phone every once in a while when working from home. Most of us find ourselves opening social media apps with the urge just to check a recent mention or an instant message. This is where many of us lose track of time. The urge to stay updated with what’s happening and then get hooked on the entertainment content that’s being churned out on the platform.
To make sure you are putting a limit on the number of hours spent using your phone, consider installing applications that help in limiting the amount of time spent using social media platforms. Most phones these days have the feature of informing the user how much time they have spent using the phone in a week. Consider reading these reports, and they can give an accurate idea about the peak app usage time and how many hours are spent. You can consider using these insights to either set a daily limit to the most-used apps.
Talk to your teammates: Working remotely in the confinement of your workspace can get lonely and monotonous. And this is where you can talk to your teammates! Connect with them over a call and chat while you work! This is a great way to know them and find grounds of common interest to talk about!
Have a different phone number for work purposes: To ensure that contacts from your workspace do not step into personal conversation spaces that you have, consider getting a different number for work purposes. This ensures that you have the ability to turn off work-related conversations once your work hours are over. In case you have personal groups with clients or businesses you interact with on a regular basis, make sure you are keeping the account active during work hours and switch to your personal account once the office hours are up. This makes that office and personal conversations do not juxtapose each other in any way and gives you control over the number of conversations happening.
Take Care of Yourself While Being Productive!
Working from home is a working experience on its own. While it can get overwhelming on days to work all by yourself, know that you can always get in touch with your teammates and family members. While you are working from the convenience of your own home is comforting; to avoid overworking and exhausting yourself. Take frequent breaks, drink ample water, and have a happy work day!
