Did you already work from home in your professional role or business? Or is this something you rarely did due to your own preferences or the way your organisation works? Many of us are currently finding ourselves working from home due to the COVID-19 working precautions and the UK Government guidelines. So, it is important we identify how we can stay productive when working from home.
Priorities come first - Identify the 2 or 3 main things you need to work on or have to deliver in the morning and afternoon. These are tasks which have to happen or may have the greatest impact on your colleagues' work or your clients' needs. Although the working environment may feel different, time doesn't slow down for us when we're working from home so be clear about WHAT you need to do and by WHEN.
Stay connected - Email is one of the easiest ways to communicate whether you're in the office or working remotely. If you usually work in a team environment, identify opportunities to speak or video-catch up with colleagues or clients during each working from home day. Working with a mix of communications can bring more variety to your working from home day. If you're feeling conscious of others' busy schedules, book in a brief phone call or video-chat. A quick phone call may also be a quicker way to clarify some information or obtain an update about what's going on with a project. You may also have direct messenger facilities to stay in touch with colleagues outside of email.
Break it up - Identify the best time of the day for you to take a break. Some home workers may be tempted to plan more breaks than planning their work for the day. Plan your allocated break at the start of your working day and stick to this slot in your diary. Some working from days you may be able to take 20 minutes, others an hour depending on which priorities you need to focus on.
Sunita Harley is a Coach, CIPD HR and professional development consultant who has worked closely with corporate legal, media and public sector organisations over the last 20 years. If you would to hear more about coaching programmes or online professional development workshops which can be tailored for your career or organisation, please email sunita@collectiveinsight.co.uk
As featured on the BBC, since 2016 Sunita has been leading the Lucky Things network and events where professionals can invest in their careers and wellbeing. For more information on what's coming up, click here.