If 2020 taught us anything good, it’s how to be flexible in terms of our work setup. Now, with the way things are going, we might be looking at a few more months of working remotely or working from home.
Given this, it might be high time to substitute your temporary bed-desk to an actual workstation, so as to increase your comfort level while working from home.
Here are some concrete action steps you can take to be more comfortable with remote work:
1. Have a Designated Workspace
If you’re still trying to work from the bed or the couch with the laptop literally perched on your lap, then your back must be screaming pain after all these months.
Having a dedicated office space or workspace, composed of at least a desk and a chair with ample back support, can make all the difference in your work-from-home experience.
Designating a strict workspace is not only good for you physically, but you also need it to protect your mental health during these trying times.
You need to be able to separate your physical space and your professional space so that your body and mind won’t get confused signals as to whether it needs to be working or resting at a specific time.
2. Minimize Distractions
A good work-from-home setup is one that doesn’t pave the way for any distractions. There are some strategies you can employ to remove distractions, the most important of which is settling into a routine.
It’s not a matter of completely closing off activities like scrolling through social media or watching television, but a matter of dedicating time for recreation without letting it cut through your work hours.
You will feel more comfortable working when you rid your area of these distractions.
Remember that the goal is for you to finish work early, so you can have ample rest at night instead of working round the clock because you let yourself get too distracted when you’re supposed to be working.
3. Clean the House Regularly
It’s near impossible to be productive in a dusty, cluttered, unorganized space. However, the irony is that none of us really have enough time to clean our homes as frequently as we want to given the current situation of the world.
This is where Tidy TN’s home cleaning services come in handy.
Hiring a professional cleaning company means you no longer have to sacrifice the one rest day you have every week to clean your house. You can instead take a walk in the park or hit the gym and simply come home to a clean, gleaming home that will put you right at ease and a lot more productive even when you have to work.
4. Leave the House Smelling Nice
One aspect of cleaning that some people neglect is the smell. Foul odors are also very powerful distractions, while fragrances can put you in a better mood to be more productive.
The smell of coffee, baked goods, and scented candles are some of the best scents to leave your house with, which could clear your mind and get you ready for work.
5. Reinvent the Space to Inspire Motivation
If you’ve cleaned the house, made it smell nice, and have set up your workspace but are still finding it a bit uncomfortable, maybe it’s time you reimagine the interior design of your house altogether.
You might be feeling stuck and thus need a change of pace, which can be achieved by remodeling or changing the layout of your living space.
Creating an inspiring space requires you to think outside the box, which also jogs your brain and puts it in a working state, ready for work.
6. Set Guidelines with Roommates
If living with roommates, you have to set some ground rules regarding your work-from-home setup.
This includes putting up a daily schedule that lets them know when you’re at work and when you need complete silence.
It’s pretty challenging to find comfort in sharing a space, especially if you’re not the one working at home, but it’s all just a matter of communicating your needs and reaching a compromise that allows everyone to be productive in coexistence.
With any luck, we could all go back to our regular programming soon, but as long as we’re here, might as well make WFH comfortable for everyone.