Working from home is one of the work changes that has taken over in recent times due to the coronavirus outbreak and the subsequent stay at home order. Working from home is easy, productive, cost-effective, and reliable. This is why it is now well-favored in the workforce.
To start working from home, you need to take two significant actions. These actions are further developed into various simple steps that you can follow without fuss. Here are the following steps on how to start working from home:
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Regular Job to Work From Home
The first step to take to start working from home is to transition your office job to being home-based. Depending on the kind of what you were doing earlier, this might not be easy. If you had a regular 9-5 job where you had to move from home to a specific location, you need to make strategic decisions.
You first need to find out if your workplace has a telework option. Can the organization survive without you being there physically? Are provisions made for work from home efficient? How do you plan to communicate with your team?
Once you have done your research about the possibility of the work-at-home option, you need to inform your boss or the HR department of your decision. Submit documents informing your boss of your decision, the benefits to both you and your employers, and the reason why you would like to work from home.
Most importantly, you need to inform your boss of how you plan to manage your duties efficiently right from home. You could request a short period of trial before the decision is made final.
Apply for a New Work-From-Home Job
You need to know that you are taking bold chances by informing your boss of your intended switch to working from home. Depending on the company’s policy or telework provisions, your application to work from home might be rejected. If this happens, you have the choice to continue to commute to work or resign and apply for a work from home job.
Ensure first that you have hitched a new work from home job before quitting your regular job. There are several jobs you can do online from home and if your current career isn’t favorable for a work from home job, you can consider venturing into something new.
Instead of applying for a specific job, you can consider freelancing on various platforms. Also, if you are opportune to, you can start your own work-from-home business. This might take time before paying off; thus you need patience and determination.
Now that you have set your work-from-home job in motion, you need to take further actions to encourage yourself to do the job efficiently and increase productivity. Here are the following strategies to help you work efficiently and productively at home.
Designated Workspace
To get into the feel of working, you need a functional workspace. Set up your office area in a private space where you would be free from distraction and able to focus on getting your work done. Your laptop/desktop and other work essentials need to be set in place.
Download all appropriate online collaboration tools such as Zoom, Slack, Google Docs, Microsoft Teams, Google Hangout, etc. Your kids and pets should know that that zone is off-limits to them. Set up your station appropriately.
Make Your Rules
Distractions can come up if you allow it. You need to create a schedule and stick to it. Determine if you would follow the regular 9-5 hours or you would follow irregular work patterns as your job requires. It is always better to follow a regular pattern for the working hours; this gives you work and life balance.
Minimize Distractions
It is crucial to minimize distractions in every way possible. You could make your partner and children aware of your need for concentration while working. Setting ground-rules would reduce the chances of your kids barging while you are in a meeting.
You can tell your kids to play with their friends or you can employ a nanny to look after them. You can also consider locking the door, to reduce the chances of anyone barging in and distracting you. If you have pets such as dogs that could disturb you by barking incessantly, you can consider buying noise-canceling headphones.
Get Some Rest
Often, it is possible to lose track of time and use up family time for work; this could affect your productivity. After working and accomplishing some tasks, you can take out little time to eat, relax, and ease tension.
You can use this time to connect with your family and friends before getting back to work. This would ensure that you remain productive after being on the desk for a long time.
Conclusion
Working from home can be both comfortable and strenuous; therefore, you need to know how to maximize your time to effectively work while at home. A lot of people tend to do the work-at-home, all wrong, and it affects them significantly. However, the steps mentioned above can guide you towards achieving a productive and efficient work-at-home system.
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