Tips for Working Effectively From Home
I have been working from home full-time for the last 6 years and I love it but I know not everyone feels the same. Here are some work from home tips to help lessen the cabin-fever you may be feeling!
Wear comfy clothes
Forgo the makeup and hair routine. I’m not saying don’t ever put pants on but, it’s a great chance to embrace the fact you don't need to look a certain way to be effective at your job. Wear what’s comfortable so you can focus on work.
Stay focused
Create a work space at home, set up with whatever materials you'll need to be productive. Working in bed or on the couch is okay for a little while but it's a good idea to have a desk set up with a comfortable chair you can work at. Hide your phone and only check every once and a while.
Eat well
Stock up on good food to eat for lunches and snacks. Use your 15 min break to whip something up and eat while you work. If you find it hard to not snack all time, set yourself designated snack times.
Create head space
Use your lunch break to get some head space: read, meditate, stretch, or my personal favorite—nap!
Past the time with music and podcasts
Already sick of your playlists? Check out the Discover playlists on Spotify to get some new music in your ears or get into podcasts. I love listening to a variety of podcasts while I work. Google top podcasts by genre to find ones you may be interested in. There's funny ones, educational ones, story-like ones and more!
Take breaks
Don't forget or forgo your breaks, it can be hard to step away but you've got to get that mental break in there.
Create a Happiness Corner!
If you can, curate a space in your home where you have all the things you need for a mental or physical wellness break set up. This way, at anytime you can step away from the stress of work or family life and do a few things to make yourself feel better. In my happiness corner I have my a yoga mat, meditation pillow, weights, paints, crafts and my Covid journal (I write daily about my thoughts, feelings, and daily activities during the quarantine).
If you’re a leader, here are some tips for how to keep your team engaged virtually
The importance of a greeting
It’s so important to greet each team member when they sign on for their shift! I greet them in the group chat and then, I’ll do a private check in to see how they are doing each day. We have no idea what people are dealing with in their personal life and it’s important as a manager to be aware of each persons’s mood for the day. Sometimes they are doing great and are ready to kick-butt at work, other days they need a little more support and understanding.
Group chat
Stay connected to your team by chatting (not just through emails) I find a good group chat is a very effective way to support each other with work and during these stressful times. (The more fun GIFs used, the better!) Sometimes when it’s slow, we do the same random Buzzfeed personality quiz and share the results with each other.
Reward their hard work with something tangible
A virtual high five and “good job” is great and important, but a physical reward is much more meaningful. Recently got my team a pin of a Gif that we always use when things go wrong at work as a “Badge of Honor” for their hard work during this intensely stressful time. Additionally, every month, each team member can redeem Karma Points (earned from me and other team mates for good work deeds) for a $25 electronic gift card of their choice.
Create virtual team parties
When my team launched a new software, it was a really big deal so I decided to set up a virtual pizza party for the day of our launch. I got everyone’s address, pizza performance and their local store that delivers. The day we jumped into the new software, we all also jumped into some pizza!