Matt Davies
7 Feb 2024
4 Working from Home No-Nos
WFH has its benefits, of course! But today we look at some of the challenges and try to overcome them with some simple advice. Lets go!
Not Having a Dedicated Workspace
So you leave your bedroom and start your commute to work by heading downstairs, but where do you end up?The Living Room sofa? The Kitchen Table? You're not working on your bed are you...?
Having a dedicated workspace will help separate your work and home lives. Ideally, we’d all like a spare room to turn into an office but sometimes we must settle for a corner, or even the kitchen table.
Make sure whatever space you chose is one that is clearly defined and you can easily put it away, for example by shutting the office door, or packing the corner into a drawer. You don’t want to work from a sofa (or the dreaded bed) as it’ll be nearly impossible to keep things organised, you’ll have distractions everywhere and with no boundaries you might end up stopping work at 10pm, or midday, neither of which is ideal for productivity or your personal life. And with that comes….
Not Managing Your Time
It's easy to manage your time at the office. There's a big clock on the wall, a manager checking how far you've progressed, lunchtime is at Midday, colleagues go for cigarette breaks at 11am and 1pm (and 13.15, and 13.30 and 13.35, I should really take up smoking!)
It can be more of a challenge at home so take some time to plan each day, leave a spot open for lunch, book times to respond to emails, conference calls, a short walk etc
I use my Apple Watch to make sure I get off my largest muscle at least once an hour. The Pomodoro Technique is also a well-known way to manage your timme effectively
Getting Distracted
It's too easy to sneak a peek at Instagram, and that peek often leads to 30mins of procrastination. Sometimes you find yourself using work time to get other important things done.
Doing the washing, or hoovering, might seem productive but they're no different to doom-scrolling TikTok videos!
Hold yourself accountable and ensure you get done what you need to get done during work hours.
I love a checklist becasue the physical act of ticking things keeps me focussed on the goals. Give it a go!
Lack of/Poor Communication
Most of us need social connection in our lives, and one of the negatives of WFH is that social interaction can be a significant challenge.
Help yourself by planning your social time into your work day; make time for work calls, video chat a family member on your lunch break, or join professional networks and engage with people in similar jobs.
When it comes to work communication ensure you know how the people on your team like to communicate and try to cater to their individual needs, keep conference calls and emails concise and check in with people, ask them how they are!
Working From Home gives you a wonderful amount of freedom and flexibility, but it’s not without its pitfalls. If you create a dedicated workspace, manage your time effectively and be mindful of distractions and social needs you will find yourself flourishing as a remote worker.