1. Protect your workspace.
Supporting work from home was an easy employer decision for the staff able to be productive with a laptop and a smartphone. Talk to family members or roommates about the hours you are working from home and the ground rules during those hours.
Use the most comfortable chair you can with back support. Also consider investing in a hands-free headset. At the very least, pop in your earbuds for long phone calls.
2. Stick to a routine
Many home workers will tell you about the importance of just getting dressed. Apparently just because we can lounge around in our pajamas, it doesn’t mean we should. A good idea could be to take a shower, get dressed and maybe even take a short walk before you set up in front of your computer for the day.
3. Stay social (virtually, of course)
The loneliness sitting at home instead of in the busy office is real. And you can’t escape it easily. But today’s video chat and other remote work software have become pervasive in the last years.
Make use of it! Not just for regular work tasks. At home, you’re missing out on all the informal communication going on in an office. Teams should therefore schedule virtual coffee breaks using live video to talk about work, and about how they are coping with the current situation.
4. Take scheduled breaks.
Try setting an alarm to get up and stretch every hour or so. Move to a separate area — away from your email — to eat lunch for 30 minutes. Breaking up the day and moving your body enables you to refresh and can increase your productivity when you return to your work.
5. Stay focused, with a family around you.
Working in the home office every day can be distracting, especially when you have kids. You need a quiet workplace with a desk, office chair, and monitors with adjustable height: Don’t work on a laptop all day. Get a mouse and external keyboard, ideally connected to a docking station.
The key to your productivity is to get uninterrupted time for your task-driven work.
6. Ramp up the communication
The real value of double displays, an extra mouse, and robust internet access might not be evident at work, but that you will soon find out. Your home working foundation will be your smartphone and laptop, complemented with good fixed and mobile broadband connections which are stress-tested.
Video conference software is very common in companies these days and an absolute must for home office setups. But video or voice calls together with email won’t cover all your remote work needs.
Whether you use VPN or remote access software, you’ll need a way to connect to your company’s server systems, applications, files, or your office desktop. This is when ACS can help you stay connected to company resources if you have to access servers, IoT, or mobile devices.
7. Practice self-care
In times of self-isolation it’s easy to question the meaning of being productive and happy. For instance, the important of self-care. Prepare healthy meals, go out for walks while avoiding crowds, or do some yoga exercises at home to stay healthy. Stress is poison for your immune system, regular exercise is the best antidote. Always try to remain active, even during mandated curfews or quarantines.