Tips for Working From Home

Lauren Ashdown highlights her top tips for working from home.

© Arthur Elgort / Conde Nast

Working from home can be challenging if you're used to an office environment. Follow these tips for a smoother transition.

Find the right spot

One of the biggest challenges with working from home is finding the perfect spot to get stuff done. You want to be comfortable, but not too comfortable. Avoid working from your bed or sofa. Not only is this bad for your posture (you’ll learn to miss the humble office chair) but it can also make it harder to fall asleep and relax as your brain will associate it with a place of work. Recreating an office type set-up is ideal, but not always possible; so aim for a light, quiet space with a comfortable chair and eye level table or desk. This may be a dressing room table, a kitchen table, or if you’re lucky enough to have one, a home office.

Go for a walk on your lunch break

It can get claustrophobic staying inside all day. So even if it's just for a short while, get outside on your lunch break. Try walking around your neighbourhood, venturing to the nearest park, popping for a coffee (if you’re able to), or just walking around your garden. Fresh air is great for clearing your mind and freeing your eyes from screen-time overkill. Try listening to a podcast or your favourite playlist to take your mind off work and any negative news that's getting you down.

Stay in touch with colleagues

Keep in touch with your work colleagues whilst working from home. It may sound simple, but it will help you to keep track of your workflow and what you need to get done. Daily phone calls, WhatsApp messages or Google Hangouts are all good options for this. Schedule a daily time and stick to it. Discuss what you will be working on, project statuses and how you can help each other. Communication is key and you’ll feel much better once you’ve chatted things through.

Schedule your day

Once you’ve chatted through your daily tasks with your team, set yourself a to-do list and try to plan out your working day. Using organisation-focused programmes such as Asana can help to organise your tasks and projects in order of importance, but a simple pen-to-paper list works just as well and is oh so satisfying. Use your daily schedule to steer your day and stick to usual start, lunch and finish times to mirror a typical day in the office.

Avoid distractions

Sitting on your own all day can be boring, and being in your own space can often introduce distractions. Try to stay focused by allowing yourself short breaks, whether it’s to grab a coffee or stretch your legs; aim to balance your day and mind to increase productivity. Avoid TVs, the urge to Marie Kondo your sock drawer and the desire to sanitise your entire house.

Set a vibe

Try to enjoy the change of scenery. Make the most of home comforts and set a vibe for your working space; light a candle, play your favourite music and cook a meal you enjoy for lunch. See, it's not all doom and gloom.

Words by Lauren Ashdown