6 Tips for Working from Home: Welcome to Your Online Office
New to working from home (aka wfh)? Join the club. Amid the COVID-19 crisis, millions of professionals are adapting by making their living room/bedroom/fill-in-the-blank room their workspace. When you work from home, you have the option to roll out of bed (maybe even skip a shower) and jump right into your day. There are a lot of benefits with this luxury, however, most of us need to adjust our at-home habits to get into a working mindset. So, to help you adjust, we’ve laid out our top tips for working from “casa de you” to help you transition from in-person to online.
1.) Location, location, location
Start by assessing your environment. You’ll want to find a comfy spot — but not too comfy. It’s easy to lose motivation when you’re wrapped in a plush blanket while sitting on a warm bed. The ideal home office will be calm, clutter-free, and let you stay focused and engaged. Find a quiet spot, away from TV screens and other people (if possible). This way, you can devote your attention to the task at hand. If you need some background noise, try instrumental music.
2. Dress for success
Clothes can affect your mental and physical performance according to an article from Fast Company. The article points out that dressing for the office at home is “a physical and visual distinction, and it helps you set boundaries. Otherwise you could feel like work never ends.” Yoga pants or sweats are great, but if you want to keep your work life and home life separate, start with the little things, like your outfit.
3. Write it down
Create a to-do list. It’s easy to get disrupted when you’re surrounded by your electronics, pets, family/roommates, and “chores” (laundry, anyone?). Give yourself structure with a list of all the things you want to get done. From that list, pick the three most important things that you have to get done by the end of the day and prioritize them first. After you knock those out, everything else is gravy.
4. Communication is key
To preserve teamwork and collaboration, embrace your webcam. Start your mornings by gathering in a video meeting to go over the daily agenda and make sure everyone is on the same page. Or, send out a video message to check in with your team and set a positive tone for the day. This helps you stay united as a team and easily share updates and wins!
5. The right tools for the job
Speaking of communication… a variety of digital communication tools like Slack, Google Hangout Chats, Covideo, and Zoom, make adjusting from working in an office to working from home less overwhelming. Video tools, like Covideo and Zoom, allow you to maintain human interaction and simulate face-to-face business when you can’t be in person. Bonus: video messaging requires less time than a plain-text email and, since humans are visual learners, your recipient will comprehend your message quicker, thanks to your tone of voice and facial expressions.
6. Share your achievements
Encourage your team to broadcast their checklists and “wins.” Even better – shout them out by name in a video message, praising them publicly. This recognition goes a long way. Plus, it can help to promote some healthy competition and drive activity. Win/win!
Ready to add video messaging to your team’s work-from-home tool stack?
Start a free trial or speak with one of our video strategists, so you can add personalized video to your business messages and start making more connections that lead to better outcomes today.
