How We Are Successfully Adapting to Working-from-Home

The onset of the corona virus, while creating a health scare, is causing all of us to rethink how we set about our lives, privately and professionally: how we conduct our businesses, how we interact with others,  our personal hygiene, our health habits and food choices and those of our children.

Over the past years there have been growing conversations about employers offering flexible hours, shorter workweeks and remote work opportunities.  With COVID-19 we as a society are finding ourselves having to adapt with urgency to a quick-shifting narrative and considering an expedited response to this issue and others.

Some of us at Saba Consultants are flextime members and we feel well-positioned to offer first-hand tips and advice to help others who haven’t come across this circumstance to adapt successfully:

Set up your workspace

Establish a nook in your home to prepare for your workday. This is your space to be productive. Look for a comfortable corner for your daily work, and always keep it clean and tidy to promote efficiency and an environment conducive to working. Ensure that you have a good internet connection and that video conferencing is possible when needed. 

Establish and maintain your routine

With somewhere to be and someone to see, we tend to be normally dressed for the occasion. Yet, with nowhere to go and no one to see, the urgency or requirement of getting up and getting ready will dissipate then disappear. So firstly, set your alarm, get out of bed and go about your morning as you normally would. Your routine should continue unafflicted by the change in your working locale.

Then head to your workspace and plan to carry on as you would at work, taking your breaks at specific times and carrying out your role with minimal interruptions. 

Avoid Distractions

One of the best ways to avoid getting distracted around the house when working from home from the start of the day is to start your work day when you would start your commute to work, not at the time you would arrive at the office.

Avoid getting up in unscheduled intervals to make coffee, get a snack, etc. work as you would at the office. 

Address Isolation

Working from home can tend to feel isolating, but in today’s age of connectivity, this is becoming less of an issue.

Keep up with colleagues on group chats, hangouts, Samepage and other popular apps that help workforces around the world stay connected and productive. 

Lastly, Don’t Forget to Unplug

When working from home becomes the norm, sometimes it gets harder to unplug. When you are finished with your working day, switch off your computer and move away from the workspace and back into your warm and welcoming environment. Always ensure that your home remains your sacred space.