Working from home or not from the office has many advantages, but it takes dedication and smart strategies to pull it off successfully. There’s no one-size-fits-all formula for remote work.

Everyone has a different way of working.

Different times at which they work.

Different work locations.

Different time zones.

Different people face different difficulties.

In this article, I will help you out with some practices to follow while working remotely or from home.

Best Practices to follow when working remotely or working from home

1. Set regular working hours

Set regular working hours

When working remotely or from home, setting regular working hours is essential. Remote employees find difficulties while working from home; they either work too much or work too little. Some situations cannot be avoided, like deadlines or client meetings, etc.

So set your working hours, for example, if you decide to work from morning 9 A.M. to evening 7 P.M. then switch off your laptop after that, keep your phone on silent and enjoy your rest of the day with yourself or your family.

Make sure your organization and clients are aware of your working hours so that it does not hamper your work and life.

2. Plan your day and make a work structure

Plan your day and make a work structure

Before you start your office day, plan what will you do today. Set priorities according to

the work that needs to be finished first.

Make a list of the tasks and set hours you are going to take for that work, it will be easier

if you set a daily calendar before you start your day.

Planning your day will help you in working efficiently and will make you punctual and

accurate.

You’ll be surprised to see the progress you would have made over a week or month by just making sure you meet your small daily targets.

3. Set a proper work area or work environment

Set a proper work area or work environment

When you are not working from the office, it is important to have an environment like your office or your desk in the office.

Use a spare room or table in the corner of the living room and decorate it as per your requirements and with the things you need, and that motivates you to do work.

You can have your favorite music, books, flowers, etc. in your little office at home.

Set a place where you enjoy so that you do no feel bored and can focus on your work.

4. Take coffee breaks

Take coffee breaks

Do not forget to refresh your mind and your body by taking productive and refreshing breaks from work.

Here are some break ideas:

  • Take a usually break for lunch, just as you would do when in office.
  • Take short 5 to 10-minute breaks for quick stretching ever hour.
  • Take a break to work out and burn those extra calories you need to make up for or just to stay physically fit and active.
  • Call a colleague to have a quick gossip over coffee.
  • Let your body and mind rest for a while so that they can be more productive and can pace up the work.

5. Do not get distracted easily; try to avoid distractions

Do not get distracted easily; try to avoid distractions

The most challenging part of working from home or away from the office environment is that you have a lot of distractions in front of you.

You have ten other things to do, family, children, television, and the internet.

To make sure you do not get distracted, keep all the tasks and other things to do after your set working hours or during breaks.

The greatest productivity killer is when you are working on some task but actually thinking about something else!

Go easy on your brain cells and work on the task at hand before moving on to something else.

6. Dress up nicely

Dress up nicely

Wearing comfortable clothes all day, even while working because your home is your office sounds exciting and fascinating, but it makes you lazy at the same time.

Psychologically saying, your clothes decide your behavior.

So wear something casual or semi-formal till the time you are working on getting a feel of the office and slipping into your comfy clothes as soon as your office is over.

7. Create boundaries between work and life

Create boundaries between work and life

Not maintaining boundaries between your life and work is very common while working from home.

We find ourselves working while eating, and while doing something else, we forget when we are supposed to be at work and when not.

But that is very unhealthy for the body and mind both.

As far as possible maintain clear boundaries between work and personal life. This is the best way to manage a good work-life balance.

You need to draw a line between your work and life. It is important to learn when to stop and give time to yourself, friends and family; otherwise, you are just increasing your chances of slipping into complex mental health issues, eg. anxiety as soon as your boss gets angry when you do not meet deadlines.

8. Connect with your teammates

Connect with your teammates

Try to know more about your teammates. Knowing the people you work with, socializing with them helps you in many ways. Do not let the home-bound loneliness eat you in any way.

Do not take physical distancing as social-distancing. Reach out, talk to your work friends and colleagues. They could be going through the same situation are you are.

Take our time to connect with your teammates, not to talk about work, but to talk about something which is not related to work. What are they watching on Netflix, how are they exercising, etc?

Conclusion

Above everything, try to stay as positive as you can.

Experiment on these techniques and figure what works is best for you and your boss.

Look within to find inspiration or motivation to keep going.

Working from home or anyplace away from the office can be difficult, but it definitely is not impossible.

Have unity in your community!!

Happy working from home!