Working remotely for the foreseeable future? You’re living the dream, right??? At Ethix, most of our team is remote. We are scattered throughout the Pacific Northwest down to California, in New York, Massachusetts, and Puerto Rico. We’ve been doing this for a while and we’ve got some expert advice to share with you.
1. Stick With a Routine
If your work is flexible, and you aren’t on a specific schedule, it can be easy to have a late start or put off certain projects for later in the day. But, day turns into night and suddenly you will find yourself working ‘round the clock! Sticking to a schedule helps to alleviate that and gives us a sense of normalcy. We recommend determining a start and end time each day and sticking to it.
2. Take Your Breaks
Seems like a no brainer, right? But without any water cooler distractions or office chats, we find ourselves forgetting to step away and take short breaks. Adjust your eyes – look at something far away to alleviate your eye strain, do a dish or two, or get a fresh breath of air outside.
We recommend this quick meditation to clear your mind (it’s only 10 minutes and includes chickens!):
Because nobody wants to hear you rustling about while you are on the conference call. As soon as you enter the call, if you don’t plan to speak the majority of the time, set your device to mute to save everyone from listening to your background noise.
Account Manager Amy G. in her shelter-in-place work habitat in Rhode Island4. Get Comfortable
If you can invest in a standing desk, a comfy chair, and some ergonomic equipment, you will not regret it. You’re going to be putting in lots of time with that desk, so make sure you are comfortable. A benefit of working from your home is that you can bust out that aromatherapy or the scented candle that you just can’t bring into the office. So settle in, get comfortable, and make yourself a nice workspace.
5. Designate an Office Space
If you’re fortunate enough to have an office area in your house then this one won’t help you. For many, the remote office is the dining table, the couch, even the bedroom. But things can get cluttered, and when the 5 o’clock whistle blows, your work is still sitting there. It can be hard to escape. We recommend cleaning your work area every day once you are finished. This helps separate work/life space and to get your mind off of your emails, projects, and ongoing to-do list. If you have a home office, set a regular cleaning schedule to remove dust and sort out clutter.
6. Meal Prep
Treat meals just as you would when you go into the office. Planning and preparing meals saves time so you can use your breaks to stretch or relax rather than having to whip something up in the kitchen.
Bonus Tip: Thank Your Team!
Shifting from office work to the home environment can be difficult, especially during a global pandemic. Show your team how much you appreciate them with our Stay Home, Stay Well kit. We created this custom bundle to provide a little comfort to remote workers – fuzzy socks and chocolate included! View the kit here: Stay Home, Stay Well Kit
