Working from home – tips for success

There are so many different ways that you can go to work. A lot of people enjoy going to the office. They get to see their colleagues and take on their daily work duties in a collaborative environment. 

However, there are other working models available for employees. This includes the hybrid model of working, where you can partially work from the office and home, and remote working, where you can work from home all the time. 

If you’re working from home, it’s important that you know how to keep yourself safe but well-organised. Here are the main tips you need to know about how to be successful.

Create a workspace for yourself

It can be tempting to work in your bed or on your sofa because they’re comfortable areas to rest. However, this may lower your productivity. 

You should try and separate the areas in your home so that you can be more efficient with where you can relax and where you can do your work. That way, there will be fewer distractions and fewer people around you to take your attention away from your daily tasks. 

So, set up your workspace and stick to the same area every day. You may be lucky enough to have a study, but you can also set up your computer on your dining room table. Choose whatever space suits you. You should also try and create a pattern for yourself when you get started for work. For instance, make your bed, get dressed, try and tidy up your home, make yourself a drink and have breakfast. That way, you can feel calmer and ready for a productive day ahead of you.

Find the right tools for working from home

In some cases, you may be lucky enough to just need your laptop, writing applications and your email to get started on your daily tasks. However, for some jobs, you may be required to use workflow and task management tools to make sure you know what you’re doing for the day. There are daily schedules and team schedules available to use, including on your Outlook email systems, that can help you keep track of what’s going on during your day.

You may also want to look into having a VPN installed on your computer that can give you access to the files available on your computer in your office. That way, you can have all the software you need to continue with your work. You may also need workplace messaging programmes, including MS Teams or Slack, in order to keep in communication with your colleagues when you need them.

Communicating with other employees

As we just mentioned, it’s important that you have some sort of social media or communication platform that can quickly send messages to your colleagues. Working from home can feel a little isolating at times, especially if you have problems that need the advice of senior colleagues to fix. 

That’s why you should make sure you have the right communication software to keep in touch with your work colleagues. This includes video call software, like Zoom and Skype, messaging software and mobile apps that can link to your email. You can even create WhatsApp groups, or even have a work phone, so you can keep in touch with clients, customers, and work colleagues alike. 

Do not overwork yourself

When you work from home, you may find it tempting to work as long as you want. You are no longer going to be on the same timetable that you were on in the office so you can work past standard work hours if you need to. 

If you do this, you may easily burn yourself out. That’s why, if you work remotely, you should try and only do your employed hours and then sign off. Make sure to turn off your emails and try not to look at them until the next day. That way, you can make sure you have a healthy work-life balance. You should always make sure to take your lunch and breaks as well. Always keep your wellbeing in mind when working from home!

Home working and self-storage

While working from home, it’s important that you keep your workspace organised. It’s normal to have an assigned room, or study, where you can get some privacy when you do your work. But how well are you making use of the space? 

It’s a good idea to keep your study or workspace organised. You don’t want it to become a cluttered mess! Keep your space tidy and consider how you’re going to keep your documents and important technology in a place where you can access them. That’s why you may want to consider self-storage.

Currie Easy Self Storage can help you with this! All that you have to do is rent a space and you can drop off your possessions any time you please, coming and going to access them as many times as you like. Your possessions will be under CCTV and 24-hour security. 

As a remote worker, you need to keep your study as tidy as possible. That way, you can feel more in control of your day-to-day work duties. Instead of having tangled cables and tons of files littered around your room, you can have them locked away in a space that you can access whenever you need to. This should free up your room and make it easier to focus.

To find out more about hiring one of our self storage units, please get in touch. We have three self storage facilities; Richmond, Twickenham and Isleworth. Simply call your local branch or drop us a line on our contact form and one of our friendly team members will be in touch.