How to Work from Home like a Pro

With the whole #coronavirus situation, many workers have been told to work from home and for some, this is a dream come true.

For others, navigating the isolation with the temptation of Netflix and YouTube might cause their productivity levels to drop dramatically.

Here at Big Domino Marketing, the entire team has always worked from home, so we feel qualified to add our opinion on what works and what doesn’t.

So let’s take a look at how you can work from home like a pro and without losing your sanity!

Perks of working from home

Many people love the idea of working from home, and there are certainly many benefits to setting up a home office. Here are some of the perks you can look forward to:

• avoiding traffic and traffic jams
• no need to set an alarm clock to wake up
• pants are optional
• flexible schedule, you can shop and go to the gym outside of rush hour times (AFTER COVID-19 of course!)
• cleaner house: have a load of washing on the go while you are working
• more time with your kids
• far fewer interruptions by colleagues walking into your office “to chat”
• fewer meaningless meetings
• save petrol, lower carbon footprint
• no exposure to gossip and you no longer have to be nice to your toxic colleagues
• increased trust from your managers

Now that we’ve taken a look at the pro’s, what are the cons?

Disadvantages of working from home:

• isolation and loneliness
• home- and work-life hours overlap and blend (flexibility works both ways and you’ll find yourself doing work outside of conventional office hours)
• constantly interrupted by your kids
• loads and loads of online meetings
• more housework (because you’re home, so you have time to do everything, right?)
• low motivation to work (if you’re not extremely disciplined)
• easily distracted by your phone, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Netflix and Tiktok, to name a few
• boss and colleagues expect you to be contactable 24/7
• the expense of using your own coffee, milk, water, toilet paper, electricity, wifi etc. that normally the office would pay for

Understandably, during the COVID-19 pandemic, many people will be forced to work from home and they’ll need to make the most of the situation.

But, thinking ahead and once the pandemic is over, many workers will use this as an opportunity to prove to their managers that they can be just as productive working at home as in the office.

So while we’re writing about how to work from home like a pro during coronavirus, we also want you to keep all these factors in mind in case you want to motivate to work from home permanently.

Tips to work from home like a pro

1. Have a good morning routine

Even though working from home means that you don’t have to rush to beat the traffic, it’s important to use this extra time wisely.

Establish a good morning routine that will help you start your day on your best foot. This means taking a few minutes to journal or meditate and even do a light workout to get your circulation fired up.

It also means getting dressed, even if it’s in comfortable clothing.

Changing out of your pyjamas helps you mentally break from “sleep” and “work” time.

Pro tip: sometimes you might want to be “business at the top” and “party at the bottom”. We do this all the time!

Meaning, we dress super comfortable and casual but when we have video calls, we put on a smart work shirt so that we look presentable from the waist up. That’s perfectly fine, but be sure not to stand up without first switching off the video!

2. Limit distractions – those you seek

If you want to be productive at home and prove to your boss that you can be trusted to work remotely (once self-isolation/lockdown is over), then you need to take this tip seriously.

Distractions come in two forms: those that you seek out and those that seek you.

Let’s look at the first one: distractions that you seek.

These are the things you find yourself doing almost on autopilot that waste loads of time and put a massive dent in your productivity.

This could be social media, endless scrolling, starting to clean the entire house, phoning a friend or catch up on Grey’s Anatomy.

If you aren’t very disciplined, then you’re going to have to learn to be strict with yourself and limit your exposure to temptation.

Switch off social media notifications and if necessary, you can instal software that blocks you from opening up Facebook etc. Here’s a great article with 10 distraction-free apps you can consider using to minimize your tendency to go rouge on social media.

3. Limit distractions – those who seek you

The second form of distraction is that imposed by other people. This could be your kids or partner constantly interrupting you, colleagues calling you and loads of video calls scheduled without any clear agenda or action items.

To minimize these, you need to work on setting boundaries and training people how to liaise with you when you’re working from home.

Certainly, having young children at home is probably the hardest distraction to cope with, especially if you’re home alone with them.

But older kids can be told to only bug you once every hour, unless they’re bleeding.

We can’t give you all the solutions here, because people will demand your time and attention in various ways. But think about how you can limit access to yourself so that you are not constantly being pulled away from the work that matters most.

4. Have a dedicated workspace  

If you want to be as efficient at home as you are in the office, then it makes sense to make yourself a little office space at home!

You might have glamourous visions of yourself lounging with your laptop next to the pool (like you see on Instagram) but chances are, you’re going to need a specific space to work if you really want to be more productive.

Get a desk and comfortable chair and set yourself up near a power supply. Be sure to keep pens, notebooks and anything else you need close at hand.

If you can use an entire room of your house as an office, even better. That way once your workday is done, you can literally close the door on “work” and get on with regular home life.

But if you don’t have a spare room, don’t worry. A little nook in the corner will do as well.

Having a dedicated space, no matter how small, will help you create a divide between home-life and work-life.

5. Remember to take breaks

When you work at the office, it’s common to go to lunch or take coffee breaks with your work friends. But when you work from home, there’s no one calling you to go for lunch so you’ll often find yourself eating at your desk (we at Big Domino Marketing are totally guilty of this!)

Remember to take breaks and move around a bit. Avoid eye strain by regularly looking away from your computer.

Almost everyone in our team has a standing desk option so that we don’t spend the entire workday sitting down, so think about how you can add a standing desk to your workspace.

6. Have exceptional internet connection

If you intend to work from home more often in the future, then you definitely need fast, reliable internet.

It is your responsibility to prove to your boss that you can work from home like a pro, and as such, the upgrade to get a faster fibre line or taking a higher cell phone package will likely be at your expense.

Again, you might have grand visions of yourself working in coffee shops like you see on Instagram.

And yes, you might occasionally choose to work at coffee shops and use their internet (we certainly do!), but in reality, it’s not as wonderful as it sounds.

First of all, you can’t sit there for free so you have to order coffee and brunch (hello, spending lots of money every week). Secondly, going to the bathroom becomes a real nightmare because you can’t just leave your laptop and bag unattended while you pop to the loo.

Just being honest!

(it bears repeating: we know that most people are avoiding going to public places at the moment, but keep this point in mind for months from now if you are trying to get your boss to let you work from home permanently).

So that’s why having fast internet at home is a non-negotiable requirement for remote workers.

Show your boss that you are committed and determined to make working from home the best thing they’ve ever considered.

Meet them halfway by setting up your home for optimal performance.

The takeaway on how to work from home like a pro

Working from home might be a necessity at the moment, but many people will want it to be a regular part of their jobs going forward.

Now is the time to keep productivity levels high and be someone who can be relied upon during this uncertain time.

When the pandemic is over, you might want to motivate to your boss to work from home more often, even if it’s just a few days per week. If so, then please consider the cons as well as the pros.

Keep in mind that it isn’t all sunshine and roses and something we didn’t mention earlier, is that not everyone necessarily enjoys working from home in the first place. Some people find it a novelty for one or two days and then the cabin fever sets in or they realise that they miss being around other people.

Some people want to keep work and home life completely separate, and they don’t want the added expense of running their own home office. Or maybe they’re really undisciplined and for these people, even the commute to work is worth it because they are far more productive when they are at the office.

It just depends on how you’re wired.

It takes a particular personality to be truly happy working from home permanently, so that’s why maybe one or two days a week will suit you best.

But for now, it might become compulsory, so be sure to use the above tips to keep yourself productive and stay sane at the same time.

Pandemic aside, do you work from home or do you want to work from home permanently? Let us know.