How To Stay Productive Whilst Working From Home
Love it or hate it, working from home is set to stay for thousands of employees across the UK. As everyone remembers last March, workers were thrown in the deep end and told to work from home for a couple of weeks. This of course, quickly turned into much longer and for many, this is now a permanent fixture.
To help, we have pulled together some tips to help you stay productive whilst you work from home.
Define your space
Keep a space in your home that is dedicated to where you work if possible. This could be a home office or corner of your living room. This will help to differentiate between work and down time so that you can leave your work in your ‘workspace’ and pick it back up again the next day. It will also help to prevent you from returning to work on an evening.
Set regular hours
Create a routine and stick to it. This will help you distinguish between your working hours and when you can relax. Sticking to a schedule means you are keeping structure to your day so that you can really concentrate on work within your set hours.
Keep your desk tidy
They say a tidy room is a tidy mind so, the same should go for your desk. Making sure your desk is kept in order will help you to stay productive and less likely to be distracted.
Get fresh air and take a walk
The benefits of exercise should never be overlooked when it comes to how you feel about work. On your break, make sure you try to take a walk and get some fresh air so that you have time to digest what you have done so far, whilst also getting a break from your workspace. Taking a short walk and getting outside gives you more energy and mental focus. There are also health benefits such as lowered blood pressure making it a win win situation all around.
Make sure your workstation is ergonomically friendly
The same health and safety rules apply for workers regardless of whether they are working in the office or at home. This means that it is important to ensure you have an ergonomically friendly workstation set-up. Booking a face to face or remote DSE assessment means you can have a workstation that is set up comfortably so that you can avoid aches and pains.
Too many people work from the sofa, dining table, floor and even bed which if done for longer periods of time can have severe detrimental effects to posture and comfort. A DSE assessment ensures you can work comfortably so that you avoid any nasty musculoskeletal problems. Being uncomfortable at work can lead to absenteeism and a lack of productivity, addressing it straight away can help avoid this.
Give yourself regular breaks
Make sure you take plenty of breaks so that you don’t get overwhelmed with work piling up. This could consist of going to get yourself a drink, taking a five-minute walk, standing outside for fresh air, or simply stepping away from your desk. Taking the time to acknowledge when you need to stop means, when you return you can continue being productive.
Drink plenty of water
This one goes without saying. Drinking lots of water helps to keep you hydrated so that you can continue to work productively whilst avoiding a headaches and tiredness.
Have a headset if you are on lots of calls/meetings
Working from home has meant that everyone is having more meetings, whether that be video or telephone calls. To help make this process more comfortable and pain free so that you can remain productive, opt for a headset. A headset means that your neck is not kept at an angle to hold your phone and it also frees up both hands so that you can type or write freely.
At VergoUK, we specialise in DSE assessments to ensure all employees can work comfortably. If you’d like to book one for yourself or you colleague, fill out the form below or get in touch and a member of the ergonomics team will be in touch shortly.