8 tips for working from home during coronavirus

Working remotely may not come as a surprise, as the rise of coronavirus continues to affect offices and places of work. But, it might still feel like a shock. Change is confronting – if you feel a little off-centre right now, you’re not alone.

Some might find working from home rewarding, offering a chance to do deep work, without the distractions that sometimes come with a busy workplace. Others might find it exceptionally difficult to get into the swing of things, especially if they have children at home, are used to being around colleagues all the time, or enjoy the normal structure of the workday.

If you’re struggling to know where to start with this working-from-home business, here are some tips to help you adjust.

1. Be kind on yourself (and others)

Everyone will be feeling a sense of anxiety with all that is going on right now. Whether it’s because things at work have been affected, your travel plans have been cancelled, or you or someone close to you may be unwell.

It’s okay to feel this way. It’s a normal human emotion, and you shouldn’t reprimand yourself if you find that your productivity is affected in any way with work.

It’s important to cut yourself some slack if your thoughts and priorities drift from time to time during your working day. Finding your focus again can be tricky, but there are ways of helping you get back on track.

Be mindful: acknowledge how you’re feeling and that it’s all part of the situation we’re all facing. Becoming aware of your emotions and showing understanding for them can help to find peace. It’s okay to feel what you feel.

Human compassion: we’re all experiencing distress at present, and it’s important we understand and acknowledge that we’re not alone. We’re all in this boat together, and we need to remind ourselves we’ve got to look out for one another and be compassionate towards our own and other people’s struggles.

Self-kindness: instead of being critical on how you’re feeling and coping with the stress of what’s going on around you, be kind to yourself. Comfort yourself the same way you’d comfort a loved one through tough times. Be supportive, encouraging and reassuring with yourself. Practice self-care behaviours, like going for a walk, meditating, or watching some comedy on YouTube.

2. Set up a proper work station

If you can, set up a designated area in your home for work.

Don’t worry if you don’t have the space to create a proper home office – whether you have the luxury of a spare room or use a section of the dining room table, the goal is to keep your work from spreading all throughout the house.

You want to create a small sense of ‘going to work’, even if that only means moving from the sofa to the kitchen bench.

When choosing your work station, consider things like:

- Wifi strength. Make sure you have a good wifi connection for video meetings with your colleagues.

- Lighting. Working in a poorly-lit room can affect your eyes and cause headaches. Natural light is always better, but if your workspace doesn’t allow a lot of natural light, then having a warm light lamp or ceiling light will work too.

- Computer set-up. Try to make sure the top of your computer or laptop screen is at eye level and that you have a comfortable chair.

3. Maintain regular working hours

If you’re working from home, you may experience one of two common issues. The first being the temptation to delay work with things like watching TV, doing your washing and ironing, or getting stuck into cleaning out your kitchen cupboards.

The second might be that you feel you have to commit more time to working in the day because you feel a sense of guilt and don’t want to be seen to slack off.

It’s important you maintain your regular working hours – do at home as you would as if you were in the office.

- Decide when to start work, and when you should call it a day.

- Create a timesheet or schedule of tasks to complete for each day, and try to stick to it.

- Time management – track your hours by using helpful tools like Google Calendar.

- Stick to a routine – if you work 7 to 3 in the office, then try work 7 – 3 at home too.

4. Set boundaries and ground rules

Chances are, you’re not the only one in your household who is home-bound – it may help to agree on some boundaries and ground rules with your family or housemates.

Clearly communicate your expectations to each other, and try to respect each other's needs. Be clear with each other about having no distractions or interruptions during certain times in the day, so that you can make your calls, have video meetings, or just focus.

If you’re juggling children as well - whether you’re a single parent or a couple - it may be worth finding ways to keep them busy for a few hours while working. If you can, ask if someone in your home can keep an eye on your child for an hour or two so that you can make calls and sort work-related tasks out.

As a couple, you might agree with your partner or spouse on taking shifts to care for your little one/s throughout the day. Setting up games and puzzles, baking something together, or simply taking your children out for a walk can help give your other half some space to get work complete, and vice versa.

Importantly, set boundaries for yourself. That pile of laundry may look appealing, or you might want to catch up on the latest episode of your favourite TV series, but try to maintain the motivation to keep working in the working day.

5. Take regular breaks

Just because you’re working from home, doesn’t mean you’re not entitled to take regular breaks during working hours.

Having a structured plan and sticking to it isn’t just for work, it applies to break times too.

Taking regular breaks throughout the day is important to maintaining your focus and energy levels to keep going.

Don’t feel guilty for having to work from home. Take your tea breaks, toilet breaks and lunch breaks. Fit some exercise, meditation or yoga in between work to ensure a good work-life balance. It’s necessary to take breaks away from your work, computer screen and phone, so take some time for yourself if you need to.

Go for a walk – even if it’s to the park or around the block. It’ll help you re-adjust your thoughts and it’s just plain good for the soul.

6. Stock up on some healthy snacks and treats to keep you going throughout the day

Let’s face it, some of us tend to stress eat or eat when we’re bored. But, it’s helpful to strive for a healthy diet while working from home for long periods of time. Your brain and energy levels will thank you for it.

Try to enjoy foods that’ll help sustain you for longer and fight those hunger pangs -like fruits, vegetables and nuts. It’s okay to have some feel-good options around too, just keep it in balance.

Prepare foods that are considered brain foods to help improve your focus and maintain a healthy energy level. Some examples might include:

- Green tea

- Oily fish

- Dark chocolate

- Lots of water

- Nuts and seeds

- Berries (e.g. blueberries)

- Bananas

- Leafy green vegetables

- Eggs

- Sweet potatoes (kumara)\

- Wholegrains

7. Don’t get sucked in by the news and social media

With so much information in the media, it’s hard not to get bogged down with the overwhelming amount of detail about Covid-19.

Of course, it’s important to stay informed about what’s happening on both a national and global scale. But it’s so easy to get sucked into our news or social media feeds, that our anxiety and stress levels tend to increase, and our productivity takes a dive.

Although it’s human nature to be distracted by these sorts of events, it’s important to stay calm and not let information distract us to the point of mental and emotional angst.

8. Stay connected with your workmates

Loneliness, disconnect and isolation are common feelings that might creep in while working from home, particularly for people who tend to be more extroverted.

Working remotely can also open up challenges such as missing important messages, emails or tasks that would otherwise have been picked up in the office.That’s why it’s good to check in frequently and keep collaborating with your colleagues, especially if you’re working together on projects.

Reach out to the same people you would usually turn to for help in the office. If you need assistance or clarity on something, don’t be shy to put your hand up. Staying connected will help reduce miscommunication and break up some of the social isolation that may come from working remotely. Be open to communicating via phone call or video chat, rather than just interacting from a keyboard.

By being kind to yourself and others, having a set workstation, working regular hours, having boundaries, taking breaks, snacking well, not getting too caught up in the news, and staying connected with workmates, you should be in a good place to work from home while you need to.