Versatile Blog

Due to the outbreak of Covid-19 many workers have been sent home to work to help prevent the spread of the virus.

While some have already been working remotely for years this may be a new work environment for a lot of people. Versatile has been structured as a remote company for years and we want to help you by sharing some of our colleagues Tips & Tricks on how to optimize productivity while working from home.

1. Start with A Clean House

A fresh house with no "chores" to give yourself an excuse to distract yourself is a great way to help keep on track and not waste time on doing things that may bother you in the back of your time.

2. Maintain Regular Hours 

Working from home presents many opportunities such as a flexible work schedule, however if you are used to the 9 - 5 grind it maybe best to continue to stick to that practice. Setting a time schedule will allow your colleagues, clients, and customers to know when they can contact you throughout the day. 

3. Take Breaks

Working in home also means you will be working in solidarity and which also means not be going to the break room to get that coffee and chatting with your coworkers for 5 - 10 minutes. Make sure you are still taking breaks through out the day and even set a Lunch hour for yourself. When working from home you are easily able to get lost in the work you are doing but, if you don't give yourself those breaks to stand up and stretch you will quickly find working from home exhausting. So take a break! 

4. Separate your Work Space from your Living Space

Work can be stressful and now that it has invaded your home it is very important to create yourself a small dependable spot in the house that you can continue to do work but, at the end of the day not return to it. Many have set a side a room in the house for personal office space but, if you were working in an office and don't have a personal office room, I recommend using the spot you find yourself the least in. For many that is the dining room because it is usually only used at Dinner time. I find that separating my work space from my living still allows me to go somewhere else into the house and relax for a moment and not have to see my work in front of me.

5. Set Boundaries within your Household

This is for those who do not live by themselves. Setting boundaries with your family/roommates is very important so that they cannot barge in on you when you might be in the middle of a meeting. Granted it may make a cute scene with your kids strolling behind you during a web conference but, at the end of the day it is an interruption to your workflow that you normally wouldn't have. 

6. Get Dressed for Work

How you dress always sets the mood. It will also allow you to do video conference with your colleagues which always helps everyone keep focus when they know others can see them.

7. Make a Daily To - Do List Every Morning

Many have said writing a to - do list everyday helps them stay on task with what needs to be done. Not being in an office you no longer have people there to help remind you of things to get done. So it always helps to have a list that you can defer to 

8.  Weekly or Daily Check in Meetings

Weekly/Daily check in meetings with your co-workers is a great way to see where everyone is at and a great way to stay motivated to keep up with the rest of the team. 

9. Check in With your Colleagues 

Remember how we mentioned that 5 to 10 mins you may take during the day in the break room to chat with a peer? Take time out of your day to send a friendly message through a chat channel that your work may have set up for you. Versatile likes to use Microsoft Teams to connect everyone in the company. If your company doesn't have one yet Versatile can help deploy, plan, and train your team in Microsoft Teams & Cisco Webex.

10. Leave your House

It is still important that when you take a break to actually go outside and walk around. Now I know this advice is limited due to the importance for social distancing, however it certainly helps to leave your house and de-stress and just get outside. It doesn't even have to be for a walk. Take a drive to a local beauty spot and enjoy the view that is not your home. 

11. Are you secure? Use a VPN

Typically when working on work related stuff your company usually has a very secure network to help protect your data from others but, now that you are working from home you are now probably working from a home network. A VPN is a great way to help keep your work content secure without digging deep into your wallet.

12. Stay in the Loop

When working from home you are no longer in the office surrounded by your coworkers and able to take a simple stroll over to their desk or office when you need to ask a question. Stay in the loop and make sure to over ask things you may not understand. It is going to be important that you are over communicating rather than not communicating at all. If someone ask why you didn't have something done, they aren't going to like the answer of "I didn't know.", so it is best to make sure you are constantly communicating your almost every move.

Contact the Versatile team to find out more information on how we can directly help you and your business work optimize productivity from the comforts of your homes. Info@weareversatile.com