Work from Home

With the ongoing global crisis, working from home is the new normal. While this may be very new to one set of people, it is not uncommon and even popular among many. Let us just be thankful we have not been pushed to war, all we now need to do is work from home.

For people who are used to working in structured organizations, for one’s work to be meaningful (read productive), this new mode of working may require a few adjustments. Having taken a decision to work from home or being pushed into it is really quite irrelevant. What matters here, is the need and an urgency to be productive. 

For those in larger cities, working from home may be rather daunting. So it is important to set a few parameters for oneself to remain productive. On a different note, I would like to point out that there is bound to be a paradigm shift in measuring productivity too. But we will leave that for another discussion.

Here are a few rules that have worked for many while working from home, including myself.

Time management is of utmost importance while working at home. For some, it may appear that working from home may mean “work anytime”. There is nothing more avoidable than this. If you work along with a team, you may have little choice but to work around the same time as others in the team. But for those with jobs independent of team members, it is very important to set boundaries. Like at an office, you should have a time at which you work. It could be anything 5 am onwards or 9 am onwards but it is really important to stick to it. The work time must not eat into time reserved for other activities nor should you end up with too many “other” things to do that work suffers.

Create at least one or two dedicated spaces or seats from which you will work. Although you may feel that you now have the freedom to work from anywhere in the home; this may not be the best idea. Trying to work from the bed, recliner or sofa, wherever whenever is avoidable. A dedicated space creates a mindset of being in the work mode and it also sends out a message to others at home that you are working and an invisible “Do not disturb” board is put up. This not only tricks others but also tricks one’s mind to believe that work hours are on. Having an alternative or two within the home for different types of work or for different times of the day can be refreshing as well as energizing.

Your workspace at home should be self-sufficient. Ideally, the space one works from at home should be as free as possible from clutter and distractions. To minimize distractions, the space should be somewhat self-sufficient, like having connectivity, a bottle of water and bare minimum of office supplies like pens, staplers, a place to rest a cup and whatever else that you need to be productive at work and not end up taking unnecessary breaks to get supplies for yourself. Once you seat yourself here, you are at work. It goes without saying that one still has the option of recliners, sofas and beds to work from. These should be reserved for tasks that require less concentration, like reading a report or journal or taking a longish phone call. This will not only help in concentrating but also help to maintain a good posture, the benefits of which are innumerable.

Self-restraint and avoiding distractions. Not everyone has the will power required to avoid distractions. TVs, smartphones, social media, the fridge are some of the biggest lures for distraction. For some, the bed or an unread book could be the predominant distraction. It is therefore very important to have a routine for doing different types of work, for having your meals, catching a nap or even to manage sleep hours so that one doesn’t end up indulging in all possible distractions. Self-restraint becomes somewhat easier when one has a time table for an activity.

Use alarms wisely. Don’t stumble into con calls and video conferences. In case of group activities like a con call or a video conference, it is a good idea to set reminders and alarms. By using an alarm, with a few extra minutes lead time, before the start of the call, one can enhance the value of the call, not only for themselves but also for all others participating. This is not only professional behavior, but it also allows avoiding technical glitches and helps optimize everyone’s time.

Give yourself a holiday too. Small amounts of social interaction, whether with family members, pets or even friends should be interspersed in any time table. These could even be a call to colleagues or friends over the phone just to catch up with whats going on, beyond your own new world and what the TV news has to offer. This can help immensely in creating a yardstick since it can get lonely especially for those who are new to this mode of working and sets boundaries while helping you to remain in focus.

Finally being organized, while working from home, is the key to your success. Good time management will help you to work efficiently, create time for yourself and to carry out activities you may have never imagined possible after joining an organization. Infact after a work from home stint, you may never look back at going back to an office space as you can easily get used to the productivity and the freedom while working from home.