With the start of the pandemic back in 2020, a lot of people had to move to working from home. That came with a whole bunch of challenges, but not only are more people working from home due to the pandemic but also as the Internet grows bigger and bigger every year, a lot more jobs are now carried out online, making most people work from home instead of a traditional office setting.
But working from home can come with a lot of challenges. Over time it can feel claustrophobic, you might not be as productive when you’re working from home, you don’t have contact with other people, and you’re confined to one space day in and day out. You’re a few ways that you can manage working from home that might make life a little bit easier.
Have A Space
Is incredibly important to have a set space that you work in every day. Whether it is an extra room somewhere in your house or if you can’t afford to spare a room then just a corner of your home will be fine, but it is important to make the space yours and only use it for work.
When the pandemic hit and a lot of people had to move to their homes for work, a lot of them did so either in their living rooms, their dining rooms, or their bedrooms. This created a lot of problems with productivity and concentration. If you are in the living room or in your dining room, it is not a private space.
There could be members of your family running around or making noise which creates a toxic environment for work. In addition, working in your bedroom is perhaps the worst of all. While it is private and quiet, you associate that space with sleep and rest, leading your productivity to hit rock bottom.
Creating a space that is only used for working and preferably the rest of your family doesn’t have open access to is the most assured way that you will be able to have a successful workday from the time you clock in, to the time you clock out. This is because if you manage to get the space in a private area, you will not have any distractions from your family members and you will also be associating the space with work rather than rest which boosts your concentration and productivity.
Take Meaningful Breaks
It can get very stressful very quickly to work from home, especially if you have other family members living with you. And if you don’t, it can get incredibly lonely and claustrophobic over time. It is very important that you take meaningful breaks during your work hours where you spend some time outside, go to a coffee shop, or call up a friend and talk to them.
When you work from home, you need to make sure that you are not only stuck inside all day long but that you also get a chance to walk around outside, be surrounded by other people, and maintain your existing relationships. One of the greatest downsides of working from home is that, unlike an office space, you are completely isolated.
In an office, you are surrounded by your coworkers (which can also cause a lot of stress for different reasons). You were able to be in the public, commute to work, and talk to people. These are all very important things for human beings as we are social creatures and isolation will drive us crazy. So make sure that you don’t pigeonhole yourself inside your apartment and interact with the world around you every once in a while.
Make Sure You Sleep
This is kind of an interesting thing, but a lot of people when they work from home, they tend to lose the concept of time. You can get really wrapped up in your work which can lead you to work long hours. Another issue is that many people tend to procrastinate and do their work as late as possible. This way you end up working all night long instead of sleeping.
Lastly, and this tends to only apply to people who live with others, there are so many distractions that occur during the day if you live with family or roommates, that you simply cannot focus during the day so you end up working once everyone else is asleep. This is a horrible habit that a lot of people who work from home fall into. It is incredibly unhealthy to stay up all night working and choose to sleep during the day.
The best way to avoid this is to create a schedule and stick to it. Just like you would have an office, create your own work hours and set alarms for when you have to start, when your break is, and when you finish. Another tip is to make sure you get some exercise during the day, or at least a few hours before you go to bed.
Because you work from home, you end up being pretty immobile throughout your entire day. This means that there is no way for you to channel your energy and a lot of people simply don’t feel tired when it’s time to go to sleep at night, because they’ve been sitting all day. Going for a jog or doing any form of basic exercise during the day can really help with that and it’s also really beneficial for your personal health, fitness, and mental health.
