South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach (Sunday)
The happy, healthy at-home worker
How to stay on top of your game while toiling remotely
Not that long ago, working from home was a rarity, but times certainly have changed. Many companies quickly have realized that some workers enjoy having the opportunity to toil from home in their pajamas and have embraced the idea.
A Gallup survey found that 43 percent of employed Americans in 2016 said they spent at least some time working remotely.
If you’re a member of the remote population, being organized and efficient are important for your mental well-being and productivity. Here a few things to work on while working from home.
Communicate regularly with your team
Communication is absolutely vital to any career. When you work from home, things are a little different. You’re more likely to suffer from isolation. Good mental health is not just important for your career, but for a healthy life.
The best way to fight back against social isolation and increase your productivity is by communicating regularly with your team. Regular communication also fights any unfair perceptions that you are not doing your job or are not involved with what is happening at the office. Being part of a project also can help you feel as though you’re part of the team and encourage you to check in regularly with other members.
Slack and other forms of instant messaging can help you stay connected. Find out where your co-workers converse and don’t be afraid to join in. Video calls are also beneficial for your mental health. Seeing the faces of your co-workers can have a huge impact.
Separate work from personal time
Many of those who work from home face the problem of always being in work mode. They often are unable to disconnect from work when they clock out for the day, or they have a boss who assumes it’s simple for them to answer emails at any time. This trend is alarming and can lead to stress.
You have to be willing to mentally leave the office. There are multiple ways to do this. The first thing you can do is separate from your work space. You should always work in one place and have fun somewhere else. When you put the two together, the workday can bleed over into your private time or you could have trouble focusing on work.
Another way is to turn off work notifications. Obviously, there are some jobs where you can’t turn off all notifications, but you can at least stop answering emails at a certain time.
You can politely let it be known that you are done for the day, wish the team good night and log out.
Manage distractions
Anyone who has worked from home has dealt with a distracting day. You’re finishing up a marketing campaign, which should take a couple of hours, but then your son wants to play or you get sidetracked by unimportant email.
You have to cut the distractions from your day. Plan how much time you’ll spend working on a particular project and then dive in. It’s tempting to stop to put in a load of laundry or take a walk or organize your closet, but resist that urge unless it’s during the break time you give yourself.
Social media can also lead you astray. You go to check your messages for a minute, and before you know it, an hour of mindless scrolling has passed. The Google extension StayFocusd can help with this problem. It allows you to add websites you want to restrict, like Facebook, and limit your time on those sites to 10 minutes.
Take breaks
Just because you work from home, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take a break. If you don’t, you will eventually burn out and your productivity will go out the window.
Besides losing productivity, not taking a break can have a harmful effect on your health. Your eyes will become strained, headaches can develop and you’ll feel stress and tension.
A popular way to take breaks when you work from home is called the Pomodoro technique. This method involves working for 25 minutes, then taking a three- to fiveminute break. You continue this process for two hours, then take a longer 15-25 minute break. This technique helps train your brain to focus, gives you time for breaks and can make you a healthier, more productive remote worker.
During your break time, don’t forget to drink plenty of water. And try the 20-20-20 method to protect your eyes from the harmful blue lights on your computer, which involves you looking at something 20 feet away and focusing for 20 seconds, every 20 minutes. This helps reset your focal point and protects your eyes.
There’s no doubt that the privilege of working from home is something to be appreciated. But to be successful at it, you need to establish your work space and have a plan of attack. Make sure that you’re also taking steps to remain as physically and mentally healthy as possible.