Changes in our world have affected how we operate and function in the workplace. Staying motivated can be especially hard if working from home has become part of your new normal. Some people flourish working from the comforts of home, while it is a challenge to stay interested for others. You can work from home effectively if you create a functional working environment. You can do several things to be successful at working from home, but where do you begin? Let's discuss!
Create a workspace you actually WANT to work in
Working from the kitchen table isn't going to keep you motivated for eight hours, and it definitely won't keep you away from the snacks! Pick a space in your home that will be your designated workspace and set it up with the essentials you had at your office work desk:
• A cup with all your favorite pens and highlighters.
(We all have our favorites - there is no shame, friends).
• A funny quote uploaded to your desktop that will keep you smiling.
• A small plant placed on the corner of your workspace that you tend to daily.
• A notebook to write down quick thoughts or tasks to complete.
These little things created the routine that helped you flourish at your office desk. Don't be afraid to personalize your desk at home as well. Remember, it only needs to work for you, so why not have fun with it!
Plan Accordingly
Since you are no longer working from an office, your manager can't exactly check in on you at your desk. How will they know what you have been doing all day? Now more than ever, your output will be weighted more heavily than the number of hours you are seated at your desk. While there will still be virtual meetings and email follow-ups, you must block time sections to focus on your projects. These periods of concentration will increase your output, showing your manager that you can still do your job effectively from home.
Find An Office Partner
Do you have a person in your office that you regularly take breaks with, or stop at their desk to say hello? Brainstorming, reviewing ideas, or just checking in can be immensely helpful to both you and your colleagues. Set up virtual calls to catch up with peers about work or talk. These discussions can not only help complete your work, but they are also great strategies for bonding with your colleagues.
Silence your notifications and minimize social media
Now that you don't have anybody physically supervising you daily, it's easy to take a break and jump on social media only to realize that somehow an hour has flown by. You can prevent this from happening by removing distractions from your workstation (like blocking social media sites on your laptop), leaving your phone in another room, and turning off notifications or setting up app limits in your settings on your phone. All this may seem unnecessary, but as previously mentioned, your output is even more critical now that you are not in the office. Ensure you are productive during the day and catch up with the latest social media news after hours.
Taking these small steps will not only change how you work at home but make you feel like you are ready to take on the day, connected with your peers, and focused on what matters to you.
On Monday, May 4th of 2015, Annabelle Cormack officially incorporated Cormack Recruitment. The Star Wars fan in me has always wondered if she did that on purpose, but whether she intended to or not, every year on the 4th of May for the last 9 years I have said to myself "May the Force be with you this year, Cormack." And this year, as we celebrate an entire DECADE in business, I truly feel "the Force is strong with this one."
But let's be real, that wasn't always the case. Building this business from the ground up was no small feat, and working alongside my amazing friend and mentor, Annabelle, for the first 5 years to do just that, we faced a lot of ups and downs together.
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