career tips

Maintain your morning routine 

Making and maintaining a morning routine is key to starting your workday. Keep a routine by waking up at the same time, showering and getting dressed as if you’re going into the office every morning. By simply getting ready, you’ll be in a better mindset to start your day. If you stay in your pajamas while working from home, you may end up feeling unmotivated to get your work done. Stick to your daily schedule and don’t forget to set aside time for lunch and breaks for a productive day.

Set up a home office

Your home workspace needs to be somewhere you feel separated from the distractions of your non-working life. Ideally, your workspace should have a door to shut out unwanted noise. If you work on a laptop, it might be a good idea to invest in a second monitor for your computer. Having two screens doubles your virtual workspace and lets you perform many tasks more efficiently. It’s also essential for your home workspace to have natural light. Natural light boosts your body’s vitamin D storage and is good for your mental health and productivity.

Stay connected with your colleagues

When you’re home all day by yourself, you’re missing out on face-to-face interaction with colleagues, which not only builds relationships but is also good for your mental health. Set aside time for check-ins with your manager individually and as a team for both work and social calls. Be inventive creating virtual social events like weekly coffee chats or lunches with your teammates to talk about to catch-up personally just like you would at the office. Take advantage of video during meetings as often as you can by using a video chat service like Skype, Google Hangouts, or Microsoft Teams.

Get up and move

When your office is just down the hall from your bedroom, it’s even more important to get up and move around during the workday. Scheduling time between meetings for standing, stretching and walking around will increase your energy, clear your mind, and is good for your health!

Disconnect at the end of the day

The same way you planned for the start of your day, plan for the end of the day. To prevent working hours from blurring together, set a reminder in your calendar that it’s time to log off your laptop to maintain balance.