Working From Home Tips from Debz

I've got a little bit of a different post today. You might know my friend Debz, who blogs as Wannabe Princess and who is a similar size to me so I always love to see what she's wearing. She also works as a Virtual Assistant, meaning she can do loads of admin tasks for businesses, leaving creatives and business owners free to do their work instead of answering emails and phones and so on. You can find out more about what she does here on her website. 

She wrote a post for me about working from home, which I've done for a long time but am not enjoying currently, and which Debz obviously does in her line of work. Here's Debz hints and tricks:

Hints & Tips for Working From Home

For lots of us, working from home has become the norm over the past few months. However, that said, I don’t think many of us would have anticipated back in March when we were asked to work from home that 8 months later we still would be. I’ve heard that some companies have already confirmed their employees can work from home throughout 2021 if they want.

As with any change to a working environment, it does take some getting used to. Working from home might seem like a dream to many – however it is very different to working in an office full of people so you probably  need to make some adjustments to make it work for you.

Create a Decent Workspace

Now that we know that working from home isn’t just something very temporary, you should work on creating a workspace that is comfortable. If you’re working full-time from home then using your laptop on your lap in front of the TV while sitting on the sofa may not be the best idea. I know that not everyone has the space for an office desk but try your best to create a comfortable workspace – a supportive chair is a must! Don’t be afraid to put up some photos and invest in some funky stationary. You’re likely to be spending lots of time here, so you want it to be somewhere you like.

Set Some Boundaries

It can be harder to switch off when you’re working from home. With your laptop and/or work phone in the same house it can be tempting to just ‘pop on and check your emails’. Mostly there is no harm in doing this a couple of times if you’re expecting something important, but if you get into the habit of doing this all the time you’ll rack up lots of unpaid hours! Keeping a good work/life balance is really important.

Work On Staying Motivated

At home there are lots more distractions than there would be at work – for starters housework might need doing and other household members might need your attention. Try to set yourself tasks and time limits so you know that you’re going to get the task at hand done. You can probably afford to be a bit more relaxed when working from home, but it is important to stay as motivated as possible and not let your work standards slip.

Be Sociable

When working on your own at home, you might find that you start to miss the hustle and bustle of working in an office. Take advantage of things like Zoom and Whatsapp groups to stay in touch with the people you work with. It might not be the same as seeing them face to face, but it does help to make keeping in touch everyone nice and easy. When you are able to, don’t be afraid to get out and about too, it’s nice to visit new places when safe to do so.

If you have any tips for working from home please share them below.