5 important rules for working from home for those who have been transferred to a remote location

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

But you will have time to miss your colleagues.

I have been working from home for the past 10 years. Although my mode of employment is freelancing, it is not the same as remote work. Remote workers perform the tasks assigned to them and report to their superiors for the result. Freelancers find work themselves and report only to the client according to the approved deadlines. Sometimes we carry out urgent orders - it's easy. It is much more difficult to organize long-term and multitasking work.

It is not so important whether they give you tasks or you find them yourself. Working from home for an office worker is at least unusual, and at the most inconvenient, inconvenient and ineffective. Several rules will help to organize the workflow, and they are addressed primarily to those who are forced out of the office and temporarily.

1. Agree with yourself and your household

Be prepared for the fact that there will be no working mood, and everyone at home will think that you have a day off. And it’s difficult for yourself to stay motivated and complete tasks, rather than sticking to a TV show, reading a book, or eventually taking a nap after lunch, deciding to work on the couch. This is especially dangerous if your responsibilities do not require close attention.

Therefore, if you are determined to be productive, you need to make every effort to explain to everyone, including yourself, that you are at work. And no, you can't run to the store, make pizza, fix the tap, or play Lego.

2. Equip the workplace

The worst option is a laptop on your lap. Ideal - a separate desktop. But let's not be maximalists: even a spontaneously equipped bedside table is better than nothing.

If the only table in your apartment is a dining room, set up your work corner on it. It is better to remove the sauces, bread basket or tablecloth altogether. Check chargers and outlet availability, install lamp. Add the necessary stationery.

3. Make a plan for the day

You may be able to do without it in the office, but when organizing yourself, a plan is necessary. It is he who keeps you on track and tells you what to do next.

However, the main value of the plan is this: it will give you an understanding that you have done a lot during the day. Maybe not everything they wanted, for example, they did not close a large task, but things were done: you called, discussed, wrote, sent, requested. Soothingly deleting items from your to-do list at the end of the day is like stroking your head. Even if it seems to you that you are filonely (and this feeling can arise quite often), then the planned and completed tasks will keep your self-esteem afloat.

According to my observations, it is most effective to make a plan in the morning, if possible, divide cases into urgent and those that can wait, into large and small tasks. And keep the list in front of your eyes at your new workplace.

4. Think ahead about food

I'm not talking about breakfast and dinner, but let's be honest: you can't do without snacks, coffee breaks, tea parties and, of course, lunch. Make sure you have tea, coffee and healthy snacks available. Food is a part of our life, and its absence can ruin the entire working mood.

And lunch is a cornerstone for remote workers. At home, the break can last for three hours: first they cooked or waited for delivery, then they chewed to the TV series, and then, of course, they poured tea - not to leave the episode overlooked. If there are no urgent tasks, the sofa beckons to lie down, read, downcast and generally relax. And the most unexpected thing: during lunch, the household again forgets that you are now at work.

What will help here:

• Plan meals just for yourself, as you would in the office, and in no case get involved in family meals or joint pizza making.
• At the beginning of the break, schedule a specific end date, for example, "I'll be back at 14:30." My advice is to lay for 1, 5-2 hours. You probably won't be able to finish your lunch in an hour, so it's best to set a realistic deadline right away.
• Before taking a break, start the next task. Then you will know exactly what to do in the afternoon, and you will gain efficiency faster.

5. Observe the regime

Since quarantine or self-isolation measures are temporary, it makes sense to stick to your usual schedule. Likewise, get up and get ready for work: have breakfast, change from your pajamas, read as if you were reading in public transport, or chat in chats, if that is what you do. Your working day doesn't change much from the fact that you are not in the office right now, so there is no reason to give up your usual rituals. They will help the working spirit.

Also, you can not do without a fixed start of the working day and, of course, its end. Those who are constantly at a distance, from work in the same way "leave": they close the laptop and end the working day.

It doesn't matter if you are in the office or at home, whether someone controls your activities or you have to master the basics of time management on your own. It is important to remember that you continue to work remotely. If you are not used to working outside the office, it can be difficult. First, it's okay. Secondly, many find it difficult, even if everyone denies it. And thirdly, it's temporary.