5 Top Tips for Working from Home During Lockdown

In the fight against the spread of coronavirus we’ve had to adjust to many changes in our day to day lives. One of the biggest adjustments has seen millions of workers packing up their desks and setting up in the spare room (if they’re lucky enough to have one) to work from home.

It’s estimated that out of the 32.6 million active workers in the UK, around 20 million are having to work from home. For most of them, it will be the first time they’ve ever had to do so! So how can you adapt to this new way of life and work? We’ve got some top tips to help you make the most of your new ‘workplace’.

Flip your thinking

We know how frustrating working from home can be – your desk used to be the dining table; your chair is already giving you back ache and nothing is where you want it! But perhaps the most important tip we can give you to get through this period is to flip your thinking. Because let’s face it, if you can work from home right now, you’re one of the lucky ones! You’re not risking exposure to the virus on a daily basis, unlike the NHS workers, delivery drivers, shop assistants and countless other unsung heroes keeping the country going. You’re not stuck at home, you’re safe at home.

Working in pajamas doesn’t work

When you don’t have to worry about looking smart for the office, it’s easy to slip into relaxed holiday mode. But countless studies have proven that what you wear has a direct impact on your state of mind. So by all means dress comfortably, but are you really going to be your productive best wearing shabby sweatpants or, worse, not bothering to change out of your pajamas?! You’d have to be extremely motivated to overcome that sartorial challenge! Having clothes that you wear just for work puts you in the right frame of mind, and when you’re done for the day you can stick on the shabby sweatpants and relax!

Routine is your friend

As with the lack of a dress code, not having to worry about a commute can seem like a blessing but can actually be very difficult to get used to. A lot of people struggle without that defined time period of travelling, which creates a boundary between work and home. Keeping to a routine is a great way to counteract this – you may find that taking your allocated outside exercise time either immediately before or after work helps too.

Maximise your space

Whether you’re sharing the dining table with the kids doing homework or you’re lucky enough to have a spare room to set up in, it’s important that you make the most of the space you have. Set yourself up properly with a decent chair and space for notebooks, pens etc. If you’re working off a laptop, raise it up to eye level and your back will thank you! You can buy laptop risers or a pile of books will do, the important thing is you’re not hunched over it. A separate keyboard can be really helpful too. We’re all hoping that these quarantine measures are only short term, but until we know more you might as well make your home office as comfortable as possible.

Check in with colleagues

When working from home it’s easy to underestimate how much contact we used to have with colleagues in the office, from catching up in the kitchen to chatting over the photocopier. While you can’t recreate these spontaneous moments, you can keep in touch via email, WhatsApp groups and video calls. If you’re shy of being on camera a phone call works just as well, the important thing is to check in regularly.

If you’re a seasoned home worker we’d love to hear your tips on how to work from home successfully, so get in touch!