A lot of us have been working from home for months now due to the pandemic. We’re very thankful for our companies who prioritize the employees’ safety and allow us to continue working while quarantined in our homes.
Now as “sweet” as working from home sounds for most people, it does present its own set of challenges and difficulties. From internet connection issues that happen during the most critical times, to being unable to focus because of the countless distractions at home or burnout due to the fact the line between your work life and personal life has blurred. So much of our lives have changed the last couple of months and adapting to this new normal is something that we’re all struggling together.
For this week, I thought I’ll share with you guys 7 Key Tips to Survive Working from Home this Pandemic. The Work From Home experience is surely different for everyone given one’s line of work or current living situations. I do hope that any of these tips may help ease your work from home experience during this time under quarantine.
7 Key Tips to Survive Working from Home this Pandemic
1. Stick to your usual daily routine at work
Do the same routine you would usually do on a normal working day. You don’t need to travel to get to work anymore, so you can technically wake up a little later. Once you get out of bed, enjoy your morning by eating breakfast or working out first. Then, get yourself ready for work by taking a shower, brushing your teeth and dressing up real nice (at least, from the waist up for any expected video conference calls).
I personally have my own rituals before I even start working and, I still do them while I’m at home. I make sure to have piping hot coffee in my Stojo cup while I read through my emails and write up my to do lists for the day.
2. Carve out your own workspace
It’s good to have a designated space in your home to work so you wouldn’t be uncomfortable or lose focus during long working hours. As much as possible, do not work on your bed or on the floor. You need a spot where you can leave work and come back for it the next day.
It’s even ideal to have your own work table or desk by the window. Choose a spot where you have a decent amount of sunlight and you may even throw in some plants to liven up the place.
Of course, most of us have to make do with what we have. Don’t be afraid to move around some furniture or invest in equipment because you will be using them every day anyway. My biggest work from home investment is a second monitor and well, I can’t live without it anymore. Sometimes, I also whip out essential oils and turn on my humidifier just for a more relaxing working atmosphere.
3. Clock in and out on time
So you don’t have to be in the office anymore. Work is no longer a place to rush to during mornings and leave after shift just to be stuck in traffic on the way home. You are home and now, work puts emphasis on time instead.
Value your company’s time and make sure you’re doing work inside of it and nothing else. At the same time, don’t do anything work-related outside of your normal working hours. Shut off your computer when your shift is up and do not think about work any longer until you come back the next day.
Draw that hard line between work and your personal life even if they’re all happening in the same place. Work life balance is always going to be important. You shouldn’t abuse yourself or sacrifice your own time just because “you can work” even if you’re not supposed to.
4. Be in constant communication with your team
We no longer see our office-mates face to face, but for sure, we still have to work together a lot. Extend an extra effort to communicate better in emails or during calls via zoom or skype. Managers and supervisor are also doing regular check-ins to see how each employee is doing so take advantage of that.
You guys can also talk informally or chat each other even if it’s not related to work. The team can also arrange some fun time or online activities just to keep everyone in touch and in good spirits.
5. Look away from your computer and stand up from time to time
It’s so easy to get a headache if you’re staring at your computer screen for too long. Your butt can go also numb sitting on one spot all day. So, try to stand up from time to time. Do stretches to liven up your limbs or you can even do a bit of freestyle dancing. No need to worry because nobody’s gonna see you, right? When work gets too overwhelming, try to take a short break from time to time. Just remember to come back right away because there’s still work to do.
6. Avoid or block potential distraction at home
Try to focus on your work by avoiding to use social media or getting caught up in distractions at home.The more things you do at once, the longer you’re likely to get one task done.
What I do is keep myself in the zone and block our distractions from family members in the house is wear noise-cancelling headphones. Listening to music while working allows me to focus entirely on work and also gets me all pumped up to get stuff done. This also makes those sudden internet loading issues a bit more bearable.
7. Enjoy your weekends and time off
That’s it! Work is over so it’s time to reward yourself and chill out. Practice work life balance and fill in your free time unwinding or doing the things you love even if you’re just at home. Just because your laptop is there and you work at home now doesn’t mean you’re accountable to work 24/7.
Try to enjoy what you work all week for. Hopefully when this pandemic is over, we can go outside again and truly reward ourselves by having late-nights out partying, taking long vacations travelling, and seeing our beloved friends once again.
I hope you guys found some of the tips I listed useful. We don’t know until when we’re going to have to work from home, but it isn’t so bad, right? I hope you guys are still taking care of yourselves and making the most out of your lives.
Even with all of the craziness that’s going on outside our homes and around the world, our lives kind of have to go on. We can get through this. Yes, we can!
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The only problem that I face while working from home is procrastination. Your tips are really helpful in avoiding distractions that cause procrastination. Thanks buddy!
These are such really great tips. Thank you for sharing. I started working from home at the beginning of the pandemic
and I still am. I’m most guilty of not making sure to stand up or look away often and I’ve noticed how unhealthy it is. Thank you for sharing such helpful tips! 🙂
It’s so easy to get sidetracked now that everyone is WFH and with anxiety levels at an all time high. So kudos for this handy guide. More life hacks please. 🙂 stay safe
Thank you for sharing. Truly helpful. God bless you
I really love the clock in and out on time. I remember before the pandemic hits us, I sometimes clock in way too early and clock out late. I realized now that its so much better if we stick to our clock in and out. More time for family and self!
I will surely share this with my parents! Sometimes, they work from home so this post can really help them to stay productive despite the humps brought by the pandemic
Goodafternoon po ❤ Thankyou for sharing this tips po 💕 Nakahelpful itong 7KEY TIPS TO SURVIVE WORKING FROM HOME THIS PANDEMIC ‘ lalo ngayon where here in the middle of this PANDEMIC , very reality , makatulong ito sa lahat , I will share this to my friends and relatives, especially those who work from Home ❤ I always love blog your ❤
Yes, ang hirap talaga mag focus ngayong pandemic. It’s not as easy as what other people think. Debale, we will get through this. Unting tiis na lang ‘to. Let’s keep the hope alive! Thanks for sharing these tips! Very timely indeed! I honestly have a hard time blocking distractions and enjoying my weekends lol ironic ‘no? I’m distracted pero di ko talaga naeenjoy weekends ko haha
Yay! Thanks for sharing this tips po. Really worth it for people who are working from home. Will share it 💗
* I always love your blog po ❤
Thanks for the tips in how to survive working from home. Be in constant communication with team helps a lot especially for doing the daily task. Avoiding distraction during work duty is a must so that you can easily finish your work efficiently. Another tip we can include is to have back up power supply and internet connection in case there is power interruption.
Hi, Christian! Really great tips here! I think #7 is really important! Most of my friends who started WFH because of the lockdown felt burned out because their bosses assume they need to work round the clock since “nasa bahay lang naman”. But that is so wrong. They should set some boundaries so they can have healthy work-life balance. Anyway, I like the catchy gifs you included haha!
ang hirap hirap mag survive sa katamaran hahahaha!!! pero kinakaya ko. thanks for sharing. minsan ginagamit ko naman din tong mga tips mo. pero madalas hindi hahaha!! trying my best!
Super guilty ako sa not looking away because of too much work in a day and also I also use my laptop for every night rewarding like watching movies or TV dramas.
Thanks for sharing this, very informative. This is beneficial especially sa mga naka work from home.
I agree with what you’ve mentioned above. Another is also learning to separate your work-time to personal time even you are WFH. Stick to the routine and have a good time too.
I super agree with everything on this post! I’m a student, but I also took 2 additional side jobs just this quarantine. I honestly can’t believe myself for taking on these jobs.. Mind you that I’m also juggling blogging/vlogging with this. huhu I’m tired. This post really helps in keeping a check on my routine!
Mostly people are working at home so this is good for them to know. Actualy some of the tips are also applicable for our online class like, avoid or block potential distraction at home. Especially when making some school activities I need to focus. And yes listening to music is my other way, I’m doing that when reviewing except while having gmeet with my prof and classmates haha
Been working from home since March 2020, the struggle is real. I invite my sister to go to my area so I can have a chatmate while working just to feel office environment.
Super pefect sa tips.. salamat for this kuya Christian Sobrang laking tulong 😊💕 really love the way you blog po tlga
It would be a challenge for me to work at home since I get used to working outside for so may years, but it would be a dream come true if I have a chance to do it in the future.Spending time with my family and working at the same time is a good opportunity!