Coronavirus is changing the way we live, spend our leisure time and work. As the world tackles the pandemic, millions of employees are working home for the first time. The name for this is teleworking or telecommuting, and it describes people who don’t travel to a central place to work because they can do so remotely, typically in their homes.
GTS translators are used to working from home. Many do this on a regular if not on a full-time basis. If you’ve never done it before, it can feel like you’re entering a strange new world, so to help you make sure you’re successful in both being productive and maintaining a healthy work/life balance, here are a few handy tips and best practices.
Create a Permanent Workspace
One of the biggest challenges when working from home is keeping your work and domestic life separate. Rather than spread out on the sofa, which is associated with your leisure time, dedicate a specific room or part of a room to be your office. This will help you get into the work mindset each day so you can be just as productive as you are in your typical work environment.
Structure Your Day
If you are going to be successful at teleworking, you have got to set a schedule and stick to it. While working remotely means you can be flexible with your hours, adhering to a plan will make you more productive. Then when your work is finished, put everything away and allow your brain to relax. When you start again the next day, you will be fully refreshed.
Avoid Work Creep
One of the dangers of having your office in your home is that you’ll be tempted to work when you should be enjoying some downtime. It starts with quickly checking a few emails before dinner and very quickly turns into working extra hours that cut into your personal life. Be strict with your schedule. This goes back to setting specific work hours and making sure you don’t waiver from them.
Create To-Do Lists
At the end of the day, create a to-do list of the things you’ll need to do the following day, and set goals and time limits for each task. Without a boss looking over your shoulders, it’s easy to lose sight of tasks and priorities.
A to-do list will help you stay on track, ensuring you meet all your deadlines.
Get Dressed
Staying dress in pyjamas is one of the reasons people love working from home, but it can be a productivity killer because it doesn’t fully get you in a work frame of mind. You don’t have to dress formally as you might have to for the office, but the simple act of getting dressed signals that it is time to get up and get things done.
Eliminate Distractions
Distractions are among the biggest challenges facing telecommuters, people who work from home. And one of the biggest is social media. Make it more difficult to access Facebook and other networks during the working day by removing them from your browser shortcuts and muting or turning off notifications on your mobile.
The news is also a considerable distraction, especially now with Covid-19. Checking news updates will probably be at the front of your mind, and while it is good to know what is going, you can quickly become anxious and unable to concentrate. Therefore, set fixed times to watch, read, or listen to the news. For example, during your lunch break and at the end of the working day.
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