When I started a new job remotely in January I initially worried that I’d struggle to work from home. I thought the lure of the television and my phone might be too strong.
I’ve realised that I actually take to working from home quite well. I thought I’d mention a few things that I’ve learned in case they help anyone else.
Visual notes are my friend and fellow DJ
I can take written notes but it really helps to have a visual that I can look at to remind me what happened in meetings, what the key points were that I need to act on. Having a visual also helps me to spur the creative side of my brain.
Planning breaks is important
I like to have my day planned and know what I’m going to work on and when, but I’ve learned if I don’t plan when I will stop for a break to rest my eyes or brain, I won’t. Sometimes you need to stop for a breath, whether that at home or in another workspace.
Working set hours works for me
I can set my hours to a certain extent but I tend to stick to the traditional 9-5, I try not to go over and run the risk of overworking. If I start earlier, I try to make sure I finish earlier, but still within my required number of hours.
Dressing for work helps my mindset
It wont be the same for everyone but for me, I find dressing as though I was going into the office helps me get into the mindset for working for home. There will be some days when I dress down but I’ve found if I’m dressed for a day at the office that’s where my head is at, if I’m dressed for a duvet day in my pink fluffy unicorn slippers, then my mind is probably on the next episode of drag race and a bowl of cereal.
Those are just a few things that I’ve learned about myself working from home. I’d love to hear what other people have learned about themselves or what helps them to get into the work mindset when working from home.
P.S
I’ve been procrastinating from writing another blog post, particularly as I’d rarely used this blog other than to write about in poster syndrome so this was more of a required step for myself. If it made for interesting reading, yay.