How to create an efficient home office during the coronavirus outbreak
As the current COVID-19 situation develops and spreads rapidly, more and more companies are electing their employees to work from home so they can follow social distancing protocol to help fight the spread of the virus. The virus spreads among people, so social distancing is a measure that governments put in place to try to slow down the virus and make sure it’s under control.
Many people are struggling and don’t really know how to create an effective home office during the coronavirus outbreak that will make them as creative, productive and efficient as they were in their offices. This is a real challenge as most people who commute have already built up a routine that they are used to and working from home is not ideal for them, but we all have to adapt to the situation and try to get the most out of it. the best of her. It’s best for all of us to stay motivated, connected and productive during this crisis so we can come out of this whole situation in the best possible shape and maintaining our work schedule can help us a lot not only economically point of view, but we also keep our spirits up.
Although every single job is different from each other and working from home will be different depending on your profession, there are some things that would apply to everyone, so we have prepared a few things that you will find extremely useful when you don’t know how to create an efficient home office during the coronavirus outbreak.
Basic hardware
Just like in your office, you may need hardware in your home to be able to successfully work efficiently and have everything you need around you to get the job done right.
The first thing you’ll need, although it’s not part of the hardware, it’s extremely important to start with, and that’s a workspace. Basically, this is an area in the house where you will do your work and only your work. A place where you will associate with work and you will not have any distractions, or at least you will limit them as much as possible. If you have an entire room to dedicate to this, great, but if you don’t, make sure you find the spot that’s as far away from the kitchen and as far away from the TV as possible so you’re not tempted to turn to it and see what’s up from time to time. It will be very distracting. Sure, some music playing in the background may not distract you, but if it’s too loud, it can reduce your productivity. Once that’s done and done, you’ll need software and hardware around you depending on your job.
Stable internet connection
In order for your connection to be as stable as possible, you will need to get a good router that will be fast and have a good Wi-Fi signal. If you don’t already have one, it’s extremely important to get one because it’s the most important piece of hardware that will keep you online and ensure you’re in touch with all your colleagues and can effectively do your work from home. There are some pretty fast but not too expensive routers on the market, so finding a good one shouldn’t be a problem.
Headphones
A good headset is also a good idea to have if you have a job where you need to communicate with your colleagues constantly. Imagine having one that’s constantly bugging or sending vague gibberish both ways. You won’t be able to do your job properly and on top of that you’ll get really angry. Besides a good headset, you’ll also need to get software that has your entire workplace online and available so you can call or text each other all the time. An app like Skype will do the job just fine.
Printer
Depending on your work, you may also need a printer. If you have a lot of documents to print, sign, and scan or fax somewhere, buying a printer that has all of these options is critical, and there are tons of affordable options both online and in local stores.
Coffee machine
While it may not help you get your job done per se, a coffee maker that makes great coffee will save you going to the first coffee shop and working from there because you need a good cup of coffee to be more productive. focused and ready to start your workday. While it may not seem like an essential part of the home office at first, it’s something you’ll appreciate a lot when you feel the need for coffee.
Comfortable chair
Since you will spend a lot of time sitting, it is good for your back to get a chair that will be comfortable and will keep your body in the right position so that you do not develop back pain. Grabbing something to make sure your monitor is at the right eye level when you’re working will also help you maintain proper posture. Maintaining your health and preventing any conditions that develop from sitting for too long should be a priority.
Stick to your work habits
Once you’ve learned how to set up an efficient home office during the coronavirus outbreak with the right hardware and your workspace is ready to go, you need to make sure you have a routine you can stick to. It’s usually best to keep the same work habits you had when you were actually in the office because you’re already used to working at that time. So working from home doesn’t mean you have to work whenever you want and stretch everything you have to do for the day throughout the day and even into the night, but stick to the working hours you’ve kept at the office. Another thing you should also do is to do all your morning preparations just as you go to the office. Don’t just wake up and sit in front of your computer or laptop and start working in your pajamas. Wash, dress, and do exactly the same thing you do when everything is normal, because the routine you did before prepares you mentally for the work you have to do, and will go a long way in getting you into the right mindset for work . Changing out of your pajama clothes is essential here, even though you’re at home. It doesn’t have to be a suit, but putting on different pants and a shirt will help you feel like you’re at work.
Avoid multitasking while working
Multitasking is something that many people believe makes them faster at what they do, but more often than not, this is not the case. Try to focus solely on your work, although you will have plenty of distractions to do at home, which may include any household chores you have been dealing with for a long time. Since you’re at home, it’s easy to get distracted by something like this and just abandon your workspace for a long time. Sometimes even a brief distraction can stop your train of thought and make you forget what you were working on. You should also prepare your lunch and snacks just as you would when you go to the office, so that you don’t waste time preparing your food in the middle of work, which can lead to more distractions and be counterproductive.
Get some fresh air
Even though you’re working from home and we’re all being advised to stay inside, getting some fresh air without exposing yourself to large social groups is something you need to do to keep your health and spirits up. Just like when you are in the office and go out for a half hour lunch break, you should do the same when you are at home. Take a proper break and go eat in your yard or take a walk around your neighborhood just to stretch your legs and get some fresh outside air and even catch some sunlight which is sure to refresh you and make you feel much better than staying in your apartment all day. You can even grab a cup of coffee from your coffee machine and drink it while you walk around enjoying your work break. Getting out and about is also good for your back and posture because, as we said before, sitting for too long can cause back pain that’s really uncomfortable, and even having the best ergonomic chair might not be enough.
Take breaks often
Another thing you can do to be as efficient as possible when working from home is to take breaks when you feel you need them. Maybe after every completed task or every hour. Taking short breaks will keep you from feeling chained to your chair at work and ensure you don’t sit for long hours. Sometimes even taking a 5-minute break every 25-30 minutes is a great idea too, according to a study that found these short breaks are far more beneficial than longer breaks that are less frequent.
Set strict rules for yourself
By this we mean, make sure your work stays at work and doesn’t spill over into the personal part of your life and interrupt your family or leisure time. This is much easier when you work from home because your workplace is only a few steps away and you may be tempted to work a little before bed so you can get some of the work you have tomorrow done, but that it’s really a gray area that can get out of hand and before you know it, it can turn into you working all the time and not having time for yourself or anyone else in your family. This can be very damaging especially to your social life and you shouldn’t take this lightly and make sure you follow the rules you set yourself so you don’t end up in a situation where you can’t balance your work with your life.
Prepare yourself mentally for disruption
This is especially important if you do not live alone and have a family. If you prepare yourself mentally that you will be interrupted, it will save you a lot of time in explanations and conversations trying to stop it from happening. They won’t, especially if you have kids, because they’ll want to spend time with you and won’t understand that you have to finish before you can give them your full attention. Going in with a plan will ensure that this situation doesn’t make you angry or irritated, and it will worry you a lot less when you’re ready for it.
Conclusion
Having the right hardware and setup will ensure you can do your job as efficiently as possible while maintaining proper posture and not putting your health at risk.
Sticking to the same work habits you had when you had an office is good for you because you’re already used to that routine and it will be easier to transition to doing anything but commuting, rather than changing the whole routine or skip parts of it.
Whenever you’re working, make sure you’re not focused on other things or trying to multitask because it won’t be productive or efficient.
Also, it’s good to get some fresh air and get out of your house every now and then, and take short breaks more often than longer breaks, which are less frequent.
Preparing yourself mentally for interruptions is also something you should do because they will happen if you have family living with you in the house. Having a plan for this will save you a lot of time and not worry you too much because you will be ready and expecting it.
It’s a real challenge to get through these tough times and adapt your routine to work from home while maintaining the productivity, efficiency and creativity you had in your office, but it’s very important to adapt to it properly so that we can come out the other end with as few “bruises” as possible. Following the tips we have shared with you above will surely help you a lot in setting up your home office and prepare you for the challenges you will face.
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