Top working from home tips from around the world
With challenges like sharing workspaces and managing mental health, working from home during a pandemic is uncharted territory. Here are your best tips for maintaining productivity – and sanity.
Earlier this month we shared expert insights for maintaining productivity while working from home
during Covid-19. Many of you subsequently shared your own stories and
tips, which included both practices that follow common advice and new
and creative ideas.
Several recognised that the pandemic makes working from home far more
challenging than usual; people are sharing workspaces with family and
dealing with anxiety, stress and other mental health problems.
Sarah M,
a service desk analyst from the UK, admits she’s finding the isolation
rather “depressing” and urges others not to take day-to-day human
interaction for granted. Haralds Gabrans,
a digital marketing manager from Latvia, says he’s struggling to accept
that this is “the new normal”, and that it will go on for more than a
few weeks.
Despite the challenges, many have discovered working from home amid a
pandemic can still be a productive and even rewarding experience with
the right mindset and behaviors.
Structure versus flexibility
Many have told us they are working longer hours, since being at home
blurs the lines between the beginning and end of the workday. Without
cues from colleagues heading out for lunch, or the side chats we often
engage in at the office, it can also be hard to remember to take
breaks.
Several people suggested putting structure and daily routines in place, including scheduling frequent breaks.
Angeliki (Pavlou) Heinz,
an audio marketing and development manager in Germany, meets her
husband in the kitchen for regular coffee breaks “just like normal
colleagues”. Similarly, Diana Nilsson,
co-founder and chief operating officer at Tracemyfile in the UK, says
her family “never compromises on breakfast, lunch, tea time and dinner
together, regardless of if our work is done or not”.
Christina Brazzale, a digital marketing manager in the UK, says working from home actually provides fewer distractions than her usual office environment, and pushes her to make more of her lunch break than simply eating at her desk. “Now, as I'm at home, I can't wait to head out for some sunshine, fresh air and a brisk walk,” she says. “It's definitely helped me make a serious effort to take my breaks, which is very refreshing.”
Christina Brazzale, a digital marketing manager in the UK, says working from home actually provides fewer distractions than her usual office environment, and pushes her to make more of her lunch break than simply eating at her desk. “Now, as I'm at home, I can't wait to head out for some sunshine, fresh air and a brisk walk,” she says. “It's definitely helped me make a serious effort to take my breaks, which is very refreshing.”
At
the same time, however, some are finding that they’re encountering
increased social pressure to accomplish more professional, personal,
creative or household tasks during this time.
Hannah Allyse Kim, a children’s literary editor in South Korea, has been quarantined at home for more than a month. Her message: go easy on yourself. “You may feel as though you can tackle all the home improvement and organisation projects now that you're confined to the house. Don't pressure yourself,” she says. “Completing only a few extra projects each day outside of your scheduled work leaves time for recharging your mind, whether that's picking up a book you've been meaning to read or trying out a new recipe in the kitchen.”
Hannah Allyse Kim, a children’s literary editor in South Korea, has been quarantined at home for more than a month. Her message: go easy on yourself. “You may feel as though you can tackle all the home improvement and organisation projects now that you're confined to the house. Don't pressure yourself,” she says. “Completing only a few extra projects each day outside of your scheduled work leaves time for recharging your mind, whether that's picking up a book you've been meaning to read or trying out a new recipe in the kitchen.”
Yvonne Dodd,
a transformation coach from the UK, agrees. She suggests having a daily
schedule, “but don't beat yourself up if you don't stick to it rigidly;
have fun with your kids; get out in the fresh air and get some exercise
(if possible)”.
Get creative
For many, the days are starting to feel jumbled together, and, at times, dreary. One tip several readers offered was to work in a spot in your home that gets good natural light, or to work in any outdoor space you have. Anastasia Balandina from London works from her balcony when the sun is out, and describes this experience as “life-saving”.
Get creative
For many, the days are starting to feel jumbled together, and, at times, dreary. One tip several readers offered was to work in a spot in your home that gets good natural light, or to work in any outdoor space you have. Anastasia Balandina from London works from her balcony when the sun is out, and describes this experience as “life-saving”.
Another
way to revive flagging energy for yourself, your colleagues or your
family is to come up with creative, silly games or group activities. Nilsson
spices up time with her family by doing at least one fun activity
together every day. “We take turns to choose an activity. Examples:
making a slime together (I would never do it otherwise), making raw
balls (my kids wouldn’t do it otherwise), making a family TikTok video
(really?), a puzzle. This way we stay productive but also have time to
appreciate each other.”
Meg Tweed, a recruitment resourcing consultant in the UK, also plays a daily game with her colleagues. “We have a short meeting/update every morning and have begun to bring in an element of fun to them by doing a 'treasure hunt', where we have an item each week and whoever brings the best one wins. This week is an embarrassing photo of us as a child!”
Meg Tweed, a recruitment resourcing consultant in the UK, also plays a daily game with her colleagues. “We have a short meeting/update every morning and have begun to bring in an element of fun to them by doing a 'treasure hunt', where we have an item each week and whoever brings the best one wins. This week is an embarrassing photo of us as a child!”
Robert Stride
lives in Switzerland where he can’t roam far outside. He invented a
little game for himself to stay sane: “Ten places in your home you
really need to visit.” Every day he visits a different location in his
flat. “Day one was the washing machine, day two was the shoe rack, day
three was the toilet bowl brush, day four the flat door, which we know
must remain closed. Tomorrow I’ll visit the dishwasher.”
In London, Hannah Cordle is taking regular “bounce breaks on my kids’ trampoline” and participating in virtual runs with her colleagues, “tracking our daily steps on Strava and visiting strange tourist destinations en route”. In Switzerland, Sarah Holland has turned her kitchen worktop into a ping pong table.
In London, Hannah Cordle is taking regular “bounce breaks on my kids’ trampoline” and participating in virtual runs with her colleagues, “tracking our daily steps on Strava and visiting strange tourist destinations en route”. In Switzerland, Sarah Holland has turned her kitchen worktop into a ping pong table.
Get your kids involved
Readers who are self-isolating with young children may well be finding it hard to follow tips about avoiding distractions and keeping workspaces sacrosanct. Many of you suggested ways to keep your children busy, including chores, games and taking shifts with your spouse.
Emma Cantril, owner of Intelligent Profile in the UK, says she has given her kids daily jobs. “Having worked from home for 20 years, I would say the biggest challenge is having to manage the sudden influx of family, cooking, washing, cleaning and how impossible it is to have a quiet space for everyone to focus,” she says. “To avoid being overwhelmed with a mess at the end of the working day, make sure everyone tidies as they go along. Otherwise, it’s impossible to cope and you will spend precious time in the evening sorting everything.”
Jonathan Wareham,
a sales director from Treviso, Italy, who is under full lockdown with
his wife and three children, also agrees that chores and outdoor time is
important. He adds that it’s important to be “honest with yourself and
your kids about the situation”.
Though Wareham has found home-schooling his kids to be the most stressful task, he says balance is crucial. “We have now accepted that we will make a daily effort and do what we can BUT refuse to stress ourselves and the kids out!” He says it’s important to give kids time to be both creative and bored.
Readers who are self-isolating with young children may well be finding it hard to follow tips about avoiding distractions and keeping workspaces sacrosanct. Many of you suggested ways to keep your children busy, including chores, games and taking shifts with your spouse.
Emma Cantril, owner of Intelligent Profile in the UK, says she has given her kids daily jobs. “Having worked from home for 20 years, I would say the biggest challenge is having to manage the sudden influx of family, cooking, washing, cleaning and how impossible it is to have a quiet space for everyone to focus,” she says. “To avoid being overwhelmed with a mess at the end of the working day, make sure everyone tidies as they go along. Otherwise, it’s impossible to cope and you will spend precious time in the evening sorting everything.”
Though Wareham has found home-schooling his kids to be the most stressful task, he says balance is crucial. “We have now accepted that we will make a daily effort and do what we can BUT refuse to stress ourselves and the kids out!” He says it’s important to give kids time to be both creative and bored.
Stay positive
In the midst of the crisis, many readers also touched on adjusting your mindset to embrace a more positive outlook.
Wareham says it’s important to establish a good attitude early on. “Take this opportunity as a positive, to challenge and build up your character and that of your family,” he says. As he and his own family have had to adapt to being constantly together, he adds that flexibility is key. “Start to recognise your negative traits. This gives you the opportunity to grow.” Try to enjoy the stillness, he adds, and recognise that your concept of time will change.
Ultimately, he reminds us that time with family is precious, even if it is not on our own terms. “See the lockdown as a time to build lasting bonds with your family and to understand what is important in this short life. Remember that together you are building a unique memory, that these moments will stay with you and your family forever.”
In the midst of the crisis, many readers also touched on adjusting your mindset to embrace a more positive outlook.
Wareham says it’s important to establish a good attitude early on. “Take this opportunity as a positive, to challenge and build up your character and that of your family,” he says. As he and his own family have had to adapt to being constantly together, he adds that flexibility is key. “Start to recognise your negative traits. This gives you the opportunity to grow.” Try to enjoy the stillness, he adds, and recognise that your concept of time will change.
Ultimately, he reminds us that time with family is precious, even if it is not on our own terms. “See the lockdown as a time to build lasting bonds with your family and to understand what is important in this short life. Remember that together you are building a unique memory, that these moments will stay with you and your family forever.”
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