4 Work-From-Home tips that work!

Remember back in March when we all counted down the days for the 21-day lockdown to end? Now, here we are in September with many of us still working from home despite the move to Lockdown Level 2. By now, you should have some sort of work from home (WFH) system going, but if you don’t, and even if you do, here are four really useful pieces of advice we’ve come across…

Stake your claim
It’s never too late to get territorial. Setting up a designated spot to work from allows you to customise the space so you can work optimally. Does a bright environment fire up your energies? Do you prefer a simple and practical workspace? Do you need writing material, a plant to bounce off ideas with, or loads of desk room for munchies and cups of coffee? Experts have found that WFH spaces that are personality- and functionality-driven are more geared towards productivity.

What’s your mojo-maker?
Maybe you work better listening to music. Or maybe you need the I-can-hear-my-neighbour’s-cat-breathe kind-of-quiet. Perhaps you love to write things down – in colour, or you find that doodling fires up your creative juices. You may function better with one eye on the TV or you do your best work in PJs. What ignites your mojo? Find it. Use it.

Be routine-ish
It’s not easy to WFH. Especially if there are others who are working from your home too. It’s tougher yet if you have to supervise or take charge of home-schooling in-between juggling a workload! Adjust your schedule so you’re at your desk when you’re most productive. If you get more work done in the afternoons and early evenings or maybe you prefer an all-nighter, check in with your company to see if it’s ok. Work around virtual meetings to customise your workday.

#SayNoToSocialMedia
The temptation is strong. Resist it. You’re far more productive without being lured into the world of likes, shares and retweets. Save social media for after work hours.

COVID-19 continues to reshape SA’s business environment. Working from home – or living at work as many prefer to say – is now the norm, and is likely to remain so for a while. Being organised, strengthening your time management skills, improving on workplace relations and brushing up on goal setting can help make the demands of the new now more bearable.

2 September 2020