Tips on Working at Home like a Pro

The usual morning routine for a lot of people has been abruptly changed.

With the rapid onset of COVID-19 many businesses have had to quickly adapt to the circumstances. One of the many ways that businesses the world over are responding to this pandemic is by sending their employees home to work remotely.

At SAENICSA | Accounting & Tax Services, we too have implemented a work at home setup with our employees. So here are a few tips on how to, well…get working.

Establish a schedule

One of the first and most important things that you can do when having to now work at home is to set up a work schedule.

This is a very practical and necessary step because when working at home many times the opportunity, or temptation, may present itself where that just for today an afternoon nap is a well-deserved prize. We’re not saying that you don’t deserve it, it is just that when working at home it is important to resist breaking your work schedule.

Of course, if your employer requires that you maintain a similar schedule as the one prior to any telecommuting arrangement, then adhere strictly to that schedule. Working from home doesn’t mean that you can work less.

Also, maintaining a schedule is good for keeping up productivity too, because when things need to get done by a certain time usually we are more efficient completing those tasks and less likely to put something off until later.

Get ready as though you were going to work

Working usually requires getting up early, maintaining good personal hygiene and dressing your best. Unfortunately, working from home usually brings out the opposite in people.

What I mean is that when people think about working from home, they think of it as a license to work in your pajamas.

Of course, your boss most likely will not establish a dress code for your home office, because its in your home – not his, but the point is it isn’t a bad idea to reconsider what it means to get ready for work when you don’t even leave your home.

Good hygiene and taking the time to get dressed and eat breakfast as though you were going to go to the office and were going to spend the day around people can help you with staying productive throughout the day.

I’m not recommending wearing a suit and tie, but at the least wear clothes that you wouldn’t be embarrassed by if you were walking in front of your neighbor’s house.

Dedicate yourself to your work

Working at home is can be very difficult if you are not staying focused with the task at hand and are getting frequently sidetracked.

Since many people are stuck at home with their families and children this is difficult to do.

So, make sure that those that you share your home with are aware that during working hours you aren’t to be disturbed. And when I mean disturbed, I’m referring to anything that isn’t work. So say for example, lunch needs to be prepared or the kids need to be bathed, it is important that if you are working there is someone else withing the home that will be willing to take care of that, if not then you need to adjust your schedule so that home aren’t conflicting with work time.

Get a work-like setup

Everyone’s home is different, but as a recommendation it would be very good to consider setting up a small area of the home as a workstation.

This not only helps in you getting ready to start each and every day on time, but it also makes sure that everyone else respects your workspace and you have access to the things that you need to get your work done.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that you should set up your workspace just anywhere, for example your bed or the washing machine are terrible places to work at, instead set up somewhere where you can sit for an extended period of time, have adequate light and where there isn’t much foot traffic – especially if you have to do a lot of conference calls.

Stay in communication

Even though we are all isolating to prevent contagion, we shouldn’t stop communicating with each other.

So, if you are going to be working from home for a undeterminable amount of time then make sure that you keep in contact with your co-workers.

At the minimum establish a group either in Facebook or WhatsApp to quickly communicate with each other rather than through email, which is less personal.

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We hope that this article has been of help to you and that if you are working from home that you can make the best of this situation. Most important of all please stay safe and in good health.