12 Effective Quarantine Work from Home tips

12 Effective Work from Home tips this Quarantine & Lockdown period 

Its been more than a week since I am working from home now. It was very difficult on my first day, but slowly I realized this is better than working from office. Of course, working from office has its own perks too. Due to Corona effect majority of people all over the world are working from home, even if they like it or not. So Just grab a coffee and continue reading to WFH effectively. 

1)Get dressed:

You read it right. Some people do think they can work from home in their night dress or pajamas. Of course we can, but dressing in anything just like a T shirt and trackpants or joggers will help your mind shift to work mode.  

2)Choose to Eat healthy:

We have many options to eat in the office. We celebrate birthdays, farewells and other similar parties which makes us to eat that extra piece of unhealthy and junk food. Staying at home gives you a choice to choose what you eat. So choose wisely and stay healthy. 

3)Set and Maintain boundaries:

Set this boundary now: "When you are working, you are working. When you are not working, you are not". Some people tend to work more or less when staying home. It is not required to over proof yourself by the amount of work you do. Feel it as a normal workday. Also concentrate only on your work in your working hours to avoid any delays.

4)Connect face to face: 

The most difficult part of working from home is you never get to see the people you see and talk daily. You feel so alone and feel like there is no one to listen to you. To avoid this, connect with the people virtually, see them face to face, talk to them and ask about their wellbeing. This helps others in knowing that there is someone who can share your thoughts and connect with even while working from home. 

5)Pretend working from office:

The best part of WFM is that you get that extra 1-2 hours of sleep which otherwise spent in traveling. I am sleeping for atleast 9 hours daily which I could never imagine in my dream too. 

Wake up a little early and set and adjust your alarm to match with your sleeping hours. Have your lunch and take your breaks at the same time as you would do when you’re in the office. Start your work day early and finish working at the logout time. If you get any new task around your logout time, try postponing it to the next day. It is better to start fresh and do well than to rush things and get it wrong. Just understand that there is no need over prove yourself just because you are working from home. 

6)Take breaks:

There is a chance that we might forget or postpone taking breaks while working from home than we do in the office. It is very important to take a break when you are stuck with something which energizes your batteries and then you can work even more productively. 

Tip: Try a little 10 minute nap in the afternoon and see how you progress in your work.

I know it is very hard to really get up and have a break but setting a timer on your phone would help. So, why not use this feature to actually get yourself going. Keep a water bottle with you and instead of asking someone to fill it for you, get up yourself, fill it first and then have a trip inside your home.

7)Get into a morning routine:

Get yourself a morning routine. Wake up at the same time daily, have a coffee or tea and include what all you want to do in those morning hours. Write down in a notepad and follow it daily. 

8)Find your own space to work:

Choose a comfortable place to work and stick to it. Have everything arranged in that place to help WFH without any distractions. It is great if you have set up a home office. But not everyone can afford a home office, just make your WFH experience easier according to your needs to work. 

9)Communicate with those around you:

There is a possibility that your family, friends and pet (if you have one) might think that you are available for them as they can see you around during your work hours. It is time to explain them about your commitment to work for the working hours, otherwise you might end up spending lots of time with them, a small conversation might take up to 20 minutes. Explain them that you will be available before and after the work hours but not in between. I hope people will understand when it is communicated. 

10)Turn off distractions:

This is the main disadvantage of working from home that we get distracted easily. TV, neighbourhood, children and pets at home are just some of them which takes our mind off from work. We feel lazy and sometimes tend to procrastinate tasks due to these distractions. To avoid this, start your workday early and sit away from these distractions.

Tip: Write down all the tasks as and when you know you should be working on today and mark it as complete when its done. 

I personally follow this technique numbering the tasks and including a date as well. This might seem silly but it always works.  

11)Reward yourself:

To keep motivating yourself while working from home, set small targets for the day and reward yourself when it is done. Complete a task and treat yourself with your favorite sweet, coffee or a 10 minute of watching some comedy show which should work wonders. You will feel more positive and energized when you start working again. 

12)Have a schedule: 

You need to maintain a brief schedule to make all of the above happen. Schedule all parts of the day but remain flexible. Write down your schedule for the whole day, include your morning routine, work hours, break time and also the time to spend with your family. This way you will feel more organized and effective at work creating a balance between work and family. Do share your schedule with your family, they need to know when you are available for them and it also helps you in maintaining work life balance. 

Take care of your personal hygiene:

I hope you have heard this a lot of times until now. I still want to repeat it for your wellbeing. Using sanitizers, washing your hands frequently, do not touch your face, covering your mouth with a mask while  going out shall protect you from Corona virus but social distancing, quarantine and supporting the lockdown in your state and county helps us stop the spread of this pandemic virus. So, stay home – stay safe. 

Here are just a few tips which I found helpful, please do share if you have some others right in the comment box below. 

Hope you like my tips. Do share it with the people who need it.