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<\/a><\/span><\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nKeep in touch with your team<\/h3>\n
Constant communication is a great way to deal with hurdles at work. Many issues are solved by a brief discussion with the right person at the right time. Also, if you are engaged in a troublesome piece of work, it is a good idea to stay connected with your management, to be sure that you are on the right track. So, organize and participate in online meetings and conferences to discuss your daily tasks.<\/p>\n
Water cooler talks are important<\/h3>\n
When you feel stressed in the office, you typically take a five-minute break to discuss this and that with your colleagues and make a couple of jokes. So, create a \u201cwater cooler chat\u201d in whatever app you use, so as to have the chance to share a recent meme or discuss the latest news. This will help you to switch focus from work and give your mind a rest.<\/p>\n
Create a checklist<\/h3>\n
A checklist with daily tasks will help you to keep an eye on urgent issues and things that you started previously and have not yet finished. Create priorities for your work items and share it with your colleagues and management.<\/p>\n
Your colleagues are also working from home<\/h3>\n
Chances are that your teammates and management are also working from home and have completely different routines and rhythms. Don\u2019t swamp them with messages and calls if they don\u2019t answer immediately. Plan your discussions and conference calls beforehand \u2013 just as you do in the office.<\/p>\n
How not to get distracted<\/h2>\n
Now you have organized your ideal home office, but the next season of [name-your-favorite-series] is out and you haven\u2019t finished watching the last season and, by the way, you\u2019ve always wanted to start to paint and now is the time!
\nNo, it isn\u2019t. Here are some tips on how to stay focused while you are working from home.<\/p>\n
Talk to your family and friends<\/h3>\n
Your family members and friends should understand that you are, in fact, working. Ask them not to distract you during working hours. However, since you are now more flexible than in the office, you can still spend more time with your nearest and dearest. Just schedule time when it\u2019s convenient for you to switch from working.<\/p>\n
Leave \u201cfun\u201d aside<\/h3>\n
It might sound cruel, but hiding the distractions -- your console or a great book that you haven\u2019t finished -- is a good practice to keep focused on the work. You may have a strong will, but it will be even stronger if there is nothing testing it. This also applies to notifications from social networks. It\u2019s easy to spend hours just surfing the latest updates on Twitter, Reddit or Facebook, so just turn them off while working.<\/p>\n
Music might help<\/h3>\n
A nice bit of ambient music in the background may help you to stay focused on your tasks.<\/p>\n
Healthcare tips<\/h2>\n
Your health is the main thing to keep an eye on while you are working from home. While you are at the office, you typically move to meet colleagues or to go for lunch, and you have the option just to take a five-minute walk outside of the office. Now, when you are at home, you don\u2019t have such flexibility. Here\u2019s how you might make things better for yourself.<\/p>\n
Exercise<\/h3>\n
Have a quick stretch and perform a couple of basic physical exercises once in a while. Long physical inactivity, also called hypodynamia, can have consequences like headaches and back pain. Create a reminder to stretch yourself once every couple of hours.<\/p>\n
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<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/div>\nHydrate and balance your diet<\/h3>\n
Dehydration will leave you exhausted and leads to loss of productivity so be sure to have something to drink at regular intervals. Also, don\u2019t make the mistake of ordering a fast-food delivery or just cobbling lunch together from what\u2019s left in the fridge. A couple of weeks of such a diet will have a strong negative impact on your health.<\/p>\n
You need proper light and fresh air<\/h3>\n
Bad lighting and lack of fresh air are two well-known sources of headaches. Spend a while every so often aerating your home, and make sure your workplace is well lit. However, even if you ventilate your house or apartment well, that\u2019s not enough. Spend some 30-60 minutes having a walk outside to relax your mind.<\/p>\n
Your daily routine is important<\/h3>\n
Don\u2019t lose your daily rituals, like a morning and evening stretch, a cup of fresh coffee or half an hour of Internet surfing in the morning and the evening.<\/p>\n
Useful apps<\/h2>\n
Here are a couple of good applications that might help you organize your home office:
\n- Toggl<\/a> \u2013 an application to track the time you spend on tasks. It will also allow you to get reports to overview how efficient you are.
\n- Trello<\/a> , Asana<\/a> \u2013 easy-to-use and free (up to a certain point) task managers. Good for cooperation with colleagues.
\n- 24me<\/a>, Google Calendar<\/a> - calendars will help you to schedule meetings and discussions with team members. Also, if you share your working calendar with your team, they will know when you have free time for yet another discussion.
\n- Zoom<\/a>, Google Hangouts<\/a> \u2013 since you are not in the office and cannot gather to have a meeting, you need conference apps.
\n- Freedom<\/a> allows you to block distracting Web pages and apps.<\/p>\n