During this unusual crisis, a lot of businesses are having to survive by working from home. 

Business owners, managers and employees alike must make-do with makeshift work spaces to keep their company’s alive.

It’s tough enough to be without the workplace resources you’re used to, but even tougher for those with inescapable domestic responsibilities – children, pets or loved ones who rely on them. 

You may find yourself asking “how on earth can I maintain good productivity levels in this environment?” – I’m sure we’ve all felt quashed by how impossible this seems!

Well, our mission at Direct365 is to help UK businesses, so if that means providing tips for successful working at home, then we’ll do exactly that. 

Be Your Own Boss

You might find yourself slipping into complacency without your manager around. No-one’s there to see how productive your being, so what’s the point, right? 

Wrong.

There are still tasks to be done whether you’ve got the pressure of peers or not. When there’s nobody around to hold you accountable, YOU need to hold yourself accountable

Take on the role of your own manager by:

  • Assigning yourself tasks
  • Setting priorities logically and in the best interests of the business
  • Creating deadlines
  • Making a plan each day, aiming to tick off tasks by certain times
  • Assessing your own performance and make changes where necessary

Once you have a clear plan in place, you’ll be more inclined to stick to the tasks. Regular deadlines will also help to structure your days and maintain a sense of purpose to your work.

You can even “give yourself a raise” (to some extent…) by treating yourself for your working achievements. Make sure you reward your own efforts to keep positivity and motivation alive.

Keep in Touch With Your Colleagues 

Isolation can feel, well, isolating. Just as you may be craving social communication with friends and loved ones, you may want to stay in touch with those you work with.

Communication for the sake of work is vital. There’s nothing worse than needing someone’s help and feeling like they’re totally inaccessible to assist you.

Make yourself accessible, offer your help and support your peers. This sort of behaviour is beneficial when returned. 

Using emails, messages and phone calls to keep the line of communication open will both create a sense of normality and help other people’s productivity as well as your own.

Don’t be afraid to ask for support and, equally, to offer your own helping hand before it’s asked for. Familiarise yourself with what your colleagues are working on, and look for aspects where your role could help.

In times like these, a little communication goes a long way.

Make Your Work Space Exclusive

Everyone’s home is different, so this might not always seem possible – but hear me out.

Studies show that productivity is highest in “built for purpose rooms”, in which inhabitants only use the space for its intended function.

For example:

  • Only workout in the garage, nowhere else
  • Only watch TV in the lounge, nowhere else
  • Only eat in the dining room, nowhere else
  • Only sleep in the bedroom, nowhere else
  • Only make work calls in the spare room, nowhere else

It’s simple, but it works by wiring the brain into focusing better on the task in that particular space.

So, when it comes to working from home, you should assign a space for “only work” – nothing else. 

You may have a spare room that you could use as an office (excellent, do it!), or you may be a bit more strapped for space. If you can’t assign a whole room as your work space, don’t worry. You can still assign a space – any space! Pick a specific table or chair in your house, and make it your “work chair”. 

If you’re struggling with work productivity and want to make it a priority, then pick your favourite, comfiest space – that’ll make working more enjoyable. Once you’ve established your work space, make sure everyone your living with knows about it. If your family sees you in that area, they should know you’re busy and not to be disturbed.

Shift Your Perspective

When dealing with distractions at home, it’s easy to fall into a grass-is-greener reminiscence by fooling yourself into thinking the office was a far more ideal environment where work was easy and productivity was rife. 

Remember, there were probably distractions in your usual workplace too. The colleague who never shut up, the person who always taps their desk too much, the office debates – the list could go on! You eventually learnt to work through it, so surely you can do the same at home

Working from home and working from the office come with totally different distractions; but they both come with distractions nonetheless, and you can still succeed in either environment

Think of the positives in your situation and make the most of them. The bathroom is closer. The food is better. The commute is easier. The uniform is slacker. The temperature is under your control. There are endless benefits to the situation you find yourself in if you’d only tweak your perspective a little. 

Get the Kids Involved

“But what about the children?!” I hear you ask.

True, if you’re tasked with working from home and looking after the little ones, you may be in for a harder time. They demand a lot of care and attention and can’t help but draw you away from your work.

Fortunately, there are endless fun learning tasks, at-home-hobbies and videos they can be getting involved in. 

However, these distractions don’t always stretch for a full working day, so how else can you keep them busy while you’re busy?

Well, if possible, why not get them involved in your work? You may have to be creative here (in some cases, VERY creative), but there’s potentially a lot of fun in making your daily tasks kid-friendly. You can even share your ideas with your colleagues, who may also have some nifty tricks to offer back. 

This is also a nice opportunity for your child to learn about you and what you do day-to-day. Plus, trying to make it interesting for them might ignite some reinterest from yourself!

Ask For Flexible Working Hours

Speaking of children, even following the greatest advice in the world, it can seem nigh on impossible to look after your child and work at the same time.

If you’ve found it too difficult to cope with these two demanding responsibilities at once, it could be time to talk to your boss.

A lot of workplaces are agreeing to flexible hours and split day shifts for parents to alternate childcare. If this would suit your household, then you’ve got nothing to lose by making a case to your employer. 

Asking for this assistance may even showcase initiative and your desire to be more productive, so surely your manager can only see that as a good thing!

Make the Most of Government Support

Finances and stress-levels may seem troubling, but always remember that support is out there. The government is working hard to help those at a loss in the current crisis, so make sure you educate yourself on what support you’re entitled to.

COVID-19 UPDATE: At Direct365, it’s business as usual! Our dedicated team are working hard from home so you can #StaySafe & get all the essential products & services we supply.

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