For those who like to work from home (WFH), Covid-19 is a “blessing in disguise”. They can now wear minimal clothing during the work, have a short power nap in the midst of work, cook own food, login and log out anytime they want — all staying off the surveillance radar of their boss. Not to mention the huge amounts of money and time being saved by not travelling to work.
The list of the benefits of WFH is endless. As Covid-19 spreads rapidly, we at e27 have also been forced to prepare for a scenario where we need to be a fully remote team until the pandemic is checked forever. But we already have a few employees working from home for quite a few years.
Here in this article, e27‘s ‘work-from-home pioneers’ share their experience and give you tips on how to do WFH effectively.
Nina Palad, Accounts Manager
Allocate a dedicated workspace to yourself that has good ventilation, and keep a routine. What we do with the Business Development team is that we have a list of our weekly focus aligned to our tasks and OKRs, so we don’t lose track
Team discussions on Asana are open and tagged to relevant people, for decks, deals, weekly challenges, etc. Good music in the background helps too, when not in a call with clients.
Anisa Menur, Editor
Have a proper support system. If you have family/friends/landlords, communicate and make sure they understand that just because you’re at home, it doesn’t mean you’re available for chit-chats. You’re still working; you’re in that productive head-space and can’t be distracted.
Also Read: Why remote working is the future for startups
Prepare a work corner. A space in your home that is all about work, everything you need to be productive should be there. When the time comes to rest/take break/”go home”, get out of that space.
Get some sun. Seriously. It affects your mood.
Do not deny yourself some bits of fun. I always work with music/Netflix/Youtube playing in the background. Helps prevents boredom/loneliness.
Be clear, sufficient, and straightforward while communicating with the team members. Let them know if you’ll be away from desk.
Shower and wear “outside” clothes. This is weird but it helps you to get in productive mode
Lyra Reyes, Marketing Manager
Stick to a schedule. Generally, I wake up at 6 am, do my morning routine, reading and finish household chores before 10 am.
Speaking of the morning routine, I prepare as if I’m going out. Shower, a bit of makeup, things like that. It helps me mentally get ready to work.
I have a designated workspace. Never work in bed because it’s very very easy to just lean back and fall asleep.
For me, checklists are my friends. At 9:45 am, I sit down and write on a notebook my priority for the day and a checklist of things I need to do and what time I will do them. It helps with prioritising and scheduling. You can also do this digitally, it’s just that handwritten works best for me.
I set up an hourly alarm to remind me to stand up and stretch my legs. Walk around some.
Allot time throughout the day to check and respond to messages. For deeper work, muting the notifications can help.
If you don’t live alone, let people know your work hours so they know not to disturb you.
When you communicate with people, make sure you’re communicating clearly. It’s very easy to confuse other people by beginning a conversation that you’re already halfway through in your head.
Also Read: There are some dark sides to working from home (but I do not care)
Play music while you work but it depends on your distraction level. I have specific playlists for specific types of work. I also sometimes play documentaries in the background. Just not during calls or meetings.
Wencis Jude Acosta, Quality Analyst
I have a dedicated space to work. If you have children, let them understand and respect your workspace.
Invest in a comfortable chair, table and equipment, it helps you work faster.
Let everyone know if you are going to be late or if you need to be out for a while, but always make up for the lost time.
Always have measurable targets for the day, it helps you to feel good.
Do not wear pyjamas, it will get you in the mood to sleep.
Hung Nguyen, Business & Innovation Development Consultant
Communication is very important, not just about work, but sometimes, chitchat with my teammates once in a while can keep the spirit up.
Celebrate wins (small or big) because the feeling of it keeps us going.
Stand up, walk around, or even go outside of the house and take a short break once in a while. I will go crazy if I sit down in a one spot in a room by myself for too long
Snacks are important, it keeps me awake and focused. So does music.
I have a digital clock in front of me to tell me time is running out so I better complete my stuff.
I don’t eat too much for lunch when food coma hits me, and I’m at home, it’s bad, and it might affect the rest of my afternoon.
Prisca Akhaya, Writer
Sync your phone with your laptop, so you can work around your demanding kids/family. Since you’re home all day, kids tend to forget that you are working because you don’t look like you’re.
I agree with sticking to the routine. I just get my kid ready first for breakfast and the day kicks off for me.
The Pomodoro method if you’re super easily distracted (block time to work and reward afterwards for 10 mins winding down).
Mili, Writer
A book and a pencil to jot down tasks and often doodle can be handy.
Second the power of a morning ritual: get up and dress up!
I take small breaks and reward them with a snack or a song or social media checks after every big task strikes out on my to-do list.
Keep the right notifications on. You don’t want all app notifications but surely some.
Zoom, Google Hangouts and Slack for the phone are pretty handy. I prefer to walk around while on calls, to give the muscles a break
Shagun Karki, Writer
Having a good wakeup routine gives me a fresh mind (it’s meditation for me, it can be pilates, cardio for someone else).
When I was working from Singapore, I had a routine — I wake up, take a shower, prepare for the day and commute. But when I work remotely, there’s a temptation to skip that entire process and simply wake up and open my laptop and start working.
I feel that a sense of discipline is important while remote- working.
I like to stick to my everyday schedule, regardless of where I work from, and that helps me with starting the day on a good note and having a fresh mind when I start the day
Having the right mindset is important. If you think working from home will affect your productivity, then it will. But if you see it as an opportunity to be creative, many things can happen.
Infographics: Advantages and disadvantages of remote working
Also, remote work encourages focus on personal well being, and work together. It can’t get better than that.
Different people will experience different things that will work/not work for them. Try different things and experiment.
Sainul Abudheen, Editor
I have been working from home for seven-plus years. Unlike my colleagues, I want my kids around while working. They pump in energy and keep me motivated. (While I am writing this, my two kids and nephew are watching a Tami super hit song from the 2000s in full volume, and I don’t get distracted).
I wake up at around 05:30 am, go to morning prayers, come back, and at 6:30, I head to the football ground on my two-wheeler, which is eight km away from the home. After an hour’s play, I come back, take a shower and log in.
I check my mails. If there any urgent work, I finish them. And then take a 30-minute power nap. Most days, I log out after 8 pm.
I don’t have a dedicated/designated workspace. I can work in my bedroom, dining hall, or even courtyard. If I travel, I carry my laptop along and can even work inside a cab.
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