It’s obvious that remote working is here for the long haul. With the current lockdown stopping businesses returning to normal, it's time to look into how you can make remote working work for you. Though office life may return, many businesses are finding benefits in remote working such as reduced office costs. We can expect to see much more flexible working options when lockdown ends.

 

There are many pros and cons of remote working - rolling out of bed and onto your desk is definitely a pro we say. All jokes aside, it can be a really tough transition and take months for you to find your working from home mojo. Not only is it harder to find your motivation, but it’s also harder to create and maintain a work-life balance. As well as these struggles, it’s really tough no longer having face-to-face interaction with your colleagues.

 

These 5 remote working tips will help you make working from home more enjoyable and more productive.

 

1. Dedicate a space

 

Making yourself a dedicated working space can change your productivity and mindset drastically - If you tend to work from your bedroom, this can really impact your work-life balance. Ever find yourself staring at your pile of work, stressing yourself out when you're trying to sleep? We’ve been there. Do you find yourself hot-spotting around the house with no real base? Been there too. Seems like a great idea to work from the kitchen until you’re dreaming about every single item of food in the cupboard or on a zoom call and the rest of the house decides to make lunch. Wherever you decide on putting your dedicated ‘office’, think about the interruptions and distractions in that area. We definitely recommend making your working area separate from your living area - work-life balance is key and separating the two at home can be difficult.

 

2. Invest in furniture

 

A lot of companies have decided that they won’t be returning to the office - and many of the rest of us have no idea when we will. If you’re working at home indefinitely, it might be a good idea to invest in some furniture for your new ‘desk’. A good place to start is checking with your company if you can take some parts from your old desk, such as your desk chair. Backache is one of the leading causes of visits to the GP and pretty much every desk worker has suffered from it. There are lots of different types of ergonomic chairs that provide the support that your spine needs - you could always opt for setting yourself up a standing desk too. If you are experiencing a lot of back pain from your desk, you need to change something as this can have a huge impact on your long term health - maybe take a look at online yoga classes to help ease some tension.

 

3. Set your hours

 

When you can do your job from your couch, it’s very hard to differentiate between ‘chilling’ and ‘working’. It’s easy to carry on working till late hours as we don’t have to stop to travel home when the office closes for the evening - same with those early starts. Set yourself firm start and finish times so you can get the work-life balance you had before. Though it may be easy to answer a couple of emails or phone calls when you’re binge-watching Bridgerton, it doesn’t mean it has to be done. If you're at the other end of the spectrum and find yourself lacking motivation, try to set yourself hourly goals so you have a plan to stick to throughout the day.

 

4. Take adequate breaks

 

When working from home we can feel guilty taking a lunch break or a coffee break - feeling like because we’re sitting at home, we should eat at our desks. Working lunches sometimes can’t be helped but it’s so important to take adequate screen breaks and stretch your legs. Back in the office, we were encouraged to leave our desks for meetings but with meetings now taking place over the screen, it’s getting harder. Set yourself a timer to encourage you to leave your desk every so often to give yourself a break. It’s also a great idea to try and get some fresh air on your lunch break - taking advantage of your daily exercise to stretch your legs and enjoy a change in scenery.

 

5. Don’t stress

 

With current restrictions, we find ourselves spending a LOT more time with our family. If you’ve got children at home or other partners sharing your space to work, try not to get yourself worked up. It can be stressful going from spending a couple of hours a day with our families, to e v e r y single hour - sometimes, it feels like the day is never going to end. Though you may be constantly distracted or interrupted by your family, remember that your boss and your colleagues are most likely experiencing the same thing. If you find yourself getting stressed about work or feeling worried and anxious, give meditation a try. Headspace is a great app which will help you de-stress and release anxiety and tension.

 

We know that working from home is really tough and with the current restrictions, it doesn’t look like we’ll be returning to our offices anytime soon. We hope our top tips will help you navigate your way through remote working.

 

If you’re interested in learning how Suneese can help you tackle your recruitment needs, you can request a free demo here: https://www.suneese.com/vacancy-intelligence-trial.php