Top 5 Good Habits For Working From Home

By now, many of us have been working from home on and off for over a year. Some of us have returned to the workplace and some of us are probably going to be at home for the foreseeable future. Due to Covid-19, work culture has changed for a lot of people and many big industries in the near future may decide to offer staff the choice of working from home.

Some might at first think of the wonderful possibilities of not having to go to the office, such as; ‘I can spend all day in my pyjamas’, ‘I’m never leaving the couch’ and ‘I can work my own hours’. However, over time, this easy-going approach will become counterproductive, as well as emotionally and physically draining. In order to maintain productivity from home, we need to have both a routine and a proper home office environment.

1. Begin your Day the Right Way

The first thing to do before even setting up your home office space is to keep up the same routines and habits that you had when working at the office. In order to mentally prepare for the working day ahead, you need to ditch the pyjamas and instead be dressed and groomed for work like a regular office day.

2. Keep a Day-Plan

Starting off your workday without the in-person direction of your manager can seem like a daunting task to some, but you can fix this with a timetable and a checklist. Plan out your day’s work with a list of tasks you can realistically complete, along with a timeframe of when you need to get them done. Keep up your regular daily schedule with starting work, lunchtime and finishing work.

This will not only give you a definitive path of what you do on a day-to-day basis, but it will also allow you to clearly separate work from time off and weekends.

3. Set up a good place in your home for work

In order to create a productive working environment for yourself, it’s crucial that you separate your leisure life from your work life. Limiting distractions and unrelated activities to before and after work is key to helping you focus. Where possible, make sure you have the best lighting available. Better sunlight will cut down on your electricity costs and studies have shown that natural lighting is better for working conditions. If you need, invest in some good quality ergonomic furniture to ensure you will avoid a repetitive strain injury.

4. Have Good Posture

Along with setting up a decent space in your home to get the job done, you should also be aware of your posture. This is especially important if you don’t have a desk and are working at a regular table. Ensure you’re sitting in an upright position with both your feet on the floor, with your keyboard and stationary equipment at arms reach. This is to reduce your risk of repetitive strain injury, which we have discussed in previous blogs.

5. Stay in Touch with People

Some of us may begin to feel alone and during work hours and it can be difficult to acclimate to working by ourselves. Stay in touch with your colleagues via email and Google Hangouts. This will keep you in the loop of how everyone else is doing and ensure you won’t miss out on information you could need for the job. This will help boost your productivity and overall mental well-being.

Home Office Equipment

If you’re interested in getting some quality, home office equipment for your home check out our partner website, Gannon Home Office for products that are perfect for working from home.