5 Tips for Working from Home

March 23, 2020

COVID-19 has shocked the world and changed the way people live their daily lives. For many of you, this means you have moved from your workplace to home. Although social distancing is an important prevention effort, the transition to working from home is not easy. Following are tips to help you adjust:

1. Keep your Normal Routine

Do you normally get up at 5 a.m., workout, shower, get ready, eat breakfast, and then head to work? Just because your office is now at home, that doesn’t mean you should stop all aspects of your routine. Incorporate many of the same things, schedule work breaks, and have a routine to signal your workday has ended. It’s easy to get distracted by your family and the chaos at home, but your routine may be the most powerful asset to start and end your day right.

2. Find the Right Space

You may not know the timeline for how long you are working from home, so you need a space you can use long-term that allows you to focus. It is understandable that you may not have the perfect, quiet space but try your best to make the space as similar to an office as possible. Avoid couches and your bed, and use a chair that you can sit in comfortably for up to 8 hours a day.

3. Get Your Technology Ready

Technology is the main component that allows you to work from home so having all of the necessary components is important. Bring home your laptop or desktop computer, and add accessories to make life easier such as a mouse, keyboard and headset. Check with your IT department to make sure you have all the necessary applications installed, access to your company’s VPN (Virtual Private Network), and all of your computer cords to work from home. Lastly, check your router, Wi-Fi signal and internet speed to make sure they are strong enough for your new needs. With so many people connected, you may need to increase your speeds or add Managed Wi-Fi. Learn more at southslope.com/internet or call us at 319-626-2211.

4. Communicate with Your Team

Just because you aren’t physically with your coworkers, doesn’t mean all forms of communication and fun have to end. Stay up to date with email, phone calls and video conferencing and check out the following apps to mix up your at-home routine:

Zoom: Video conferencing for small to large groups of people
Slack: Real-time chat that cuts down on emails. Also has fun gifs.
Jing: Need to explain something in person but can’t? Jing allows you to screencast for up to 5 minutes.
Trello: A project management app that helps you organize to-dos and projects.
Forest: Do you get distracted by your phone? Grow a forest to stay focused. Literally they grow real trees when you stay off your phone!
Mindfulness: Only a few minutes of meditation a day are enough to refresh your brain, energize your body and allow you to focus again.
LastPass: Keep your passwords safe with this handy app.

5. Keep the kids distracted – and learning!

If you have kids at home, it is inevitable they will distract you from work at times. They are adjusting just like you. Following are fun, educational sites that can help keep them focused while you work.

We’re in this together! Follow us on Facebook and check our blog for more helpful tips in the weeks to come.