In the midst of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, many businesses are adopting optional or compulsory work-from-home policies. That means that a lot of us are grappling with an unusual challenge: working from home for the first time.

Even if you have done it before, working at home because of COVID-19 may seem like a strange new world: it was probably landed on you with very short notice, with no idea of when you will be back at your desk in your office. You can’t meet up with your collegues in person to bounce ideas off or share the workload: it is you, on your own, at home.

If this transition is proving challenging, here are some tips to make it a little easier on you.

Make sure you have a space to work

When it comes to working remotely, one of the biggest challenges facing many people is having somewhere to work away from the hustle and bustle of the household. It also can be difficult to separate homelife from work, and having a distinct space can make that easier.

Of course, that can be hard if you do not have a room that you can set aside for a home office, and many people have to make do with working at the kitchen table. However, if you can, carve out space where you can close the door on work.

Make sure that you have all of the equipment and resources that you need

The very sudden transition from office to home can mean that you are not as prepared as you ideally could be. Sure, you might have a laptop or a desktop, but do you have a working printer? The correct software to do your job? Do you have all of the access codes and passwords in order to access what you need. If you are just setting up, you can find out some tips for using Windows by clicking here.

The last thing that you want is to be working towards a really tight deadline or be on a conference call to an important client and you can’t do what you need to because you do not have the equipment or the resources. Make a list of everything that you will need to do your job properly and make sure that you get them all.

Keep to clearly defined work hours

Just as you should have a clear definition between your workspace and your homespace, you should have a clear barrier between your home life and your work life. This will help not only your productivity but help you mentally manage. It can be tempting to work even longer hours than normal just because you are doing it at home. As well as that, if you work collaboratively, working to the same hours as your colleagues means that you will work better as a team.

Have a transition in place

We have already talked about transitions between work life and home life, and sometimes having a transition activity in between can help to create a buffer. After you finish your day at work normally, you would have your walk home or commute to get you out of work mode and into home mode, but when working at home, you do not have that. Aim to go for a walk around the block if possible when you have finished work as that ‘commute’ and to give you some fresh air and exercise before you head back into normal home life.

Don’t get distracted

One of the biggest problems with working from home is the distractions that are available. You sit down for a quick cup of coffee and two hours and two episodes of The Gilmore Girls later and you have not done any of the tasks that you needed to do. Or, you just go to put a load of laundry on, and then quickly sort out that pile of ironing - and before you know it, you have a fabulously clean house - but not done your work. Then, on top of that, you have family and friends popping around for a coffee or asking you to pick their kids up from school because you are at home. All of these distractions stop you from working productively. Learn to say no to any requests for your time during work hours, and do not allow yourself to get distracted by household tasks.

Working from home can be a challenge at the best of times, but more so at the moment when social contact is limited. Follow these tips to make sure that the time you are working is productive and efficient.