Ultimate Guide To Work From Home

It seems that the Movement Control Order 3.0 announcement on TV left people with mixed reactions. In order to stay productive, we laid out some tips for an ultimate guide to working from home effectively.

17 November 2021

Get dressed!

I guess everyone agrees when I say our favourite working from home attire is pyjamas, right? We are working at a place that we are most comfortable with and pyjamas go well with it and people do not bother to dress up while working from home. As much as we like to dress up comfortably with our pyjamas at home, it is not recommended for you to do so. Although you are working from home, you must get ready for your work just like how you usually do on a normal basis. You heard that right, GET OUT OF YOUR SLEEPWEAR! It may give you the total comfort you want but may drain your energy as well. Working with sleepwear all day, you may not feel as productive as possible and you’d probably tend to procrastinate. So, please get up with getting dressed for work and happy working!

Prepare a proper home office

The best thing about working from home is surely the level of comfort at home. I mean, who doesn’t feel that way when you are at home right? Again, the level of comfort you can achieve at home could also be the reason why you are losing productivity, focus and target goals. We all know the biggest distraction at home is our couch and bed, as much as working from home can be convenient for many of us and we get cooped up with the comfort. It is our biggest challenge to resist the temptation to fall asleep on our so-comfortable-cocoon! Hence, to avoid feeling lethargic and demotivate us, decide on which area at your home is suitable for a home office. You need to have a particular workspace all for yourself to avoid distractions whilst working from home. Thus, you have to choose the best space at home that could give you the office vibes to ensure you are focus on doing your work, all day. A dedicated workspace will help to keep yourself oriented to your work by providing an office-esque environment. Concentration is the key!

New technology

One of the most important things that you have to make sure of when working from home is a good internet connection. I mean, you do not want to attend a conference call with a very slow internet connection, right? Imagine the bosses could not hear a word from you whilst you are presenting a slide due to a bad connection. A poor and outdated system can get you frustrated the whole day! In such a state, do install an internet connection from a renowned network provider or upgrade to a larger internet speed. Good internet connectivity is an ultimate tool when working from home, especially if you and your housemates are at home at the same time. You are not only required to have a good internet connection, but you also have to ensure that your working devices are working just fine. Make sure to have the latest version of the processor and operating system to avoid mishaps while working from home, because the IT guy may not be able to help you if you are experiencing glitches.

Maintain the actual working hours

How often do you feel like procrastinating and lose the track of time while working from home? When your mind is hooked on work, it may be possible for you to be unaware of the amount of time that has passed, well-being a workaholic is good but make sure not to overdo it as it is an unhealthy practice, and we all know that. It is very important to have a work-life balance when working from home. Bear in mind that your personal life is just as important as your professional life, to make sure you can balance up these two you should always make a routine for your workdays and the working hours. It has to be prepared in a way that you can follow it easily and not burdening you. If you plan to work 9 hours straight from 9 am to 6 pm just like your usual working schedule, just stick with that. You may have days where you need to finish up tons of work and if this happens, do talk to your manager for an extension of the submission. But always remember that doing this on your workdays can be harmful as working overtime can stress you out, physically and mentally. So here are the rules you can implement to maintain consistent working hours;

Do not forget to set your alarm an hour before the office hour
Freshen up and wear your office attire, but make it comfy
Perform your tasks dedicatedly
Shut your laptop as soon as your working hours ended
Move away from your workplace and call it a day

We all know how tough it is to be working from home during the pandemic, be it with a child or not we are all have our distractions. It is okay to feel overwhelmed with works and what is happening around us now, but do not dwell on it too much as it may affect your work productivity and the results. Things may be hard for everyone now, but we have to face it after all. Take a walk outside or do some light exercises at home to help you focus more on your life and works together. I hope this article helps you to have a better work-life whilst working from home. Stay home and stay safe everybody!