COVID-19 has reignited debates about working from home in America and abroad. After all, with so many businesses forced to adapt to letting their employees work remotely, will it be important for staff members to return to the office when it is finally safe to do so?
While companies will have time to discuss this issue in the coming months, many employees don’t have that luxury of time to get their lives in order. If you’re struggling to stay productive at home during the pandemic, here are a few tips as well as some tech tools to help you work from home more successfully.
Dress like you’re headed into the office.
Even though you’ve got a completely new routine, acting like you still are heading into the office is one of the many things you can do to help separate the time you spend working from other elements of your home life. Remember that getting the proper work-life balance can be particularly tricky when working from home, so being able to physically delineate your day by changing in and out of your work clothes can help with adjusting to this new normal.
It’s also worth noting that the pandemic is making working from home more stressful than it would be normally. As a result, finding ways to treat yourself can be helpful to your mental health as you work to figure out how to stay productive while sheltering-in-place. Maybe that means a little retail therapy shopping for dressy jackets for women. After all, there’s no reason you can’t splurge on some new outfits to “wear to work” while you’re navigating your new routine.
Invest in equipment that makes your job easier.
If you’re already tired of Zoom meetings and video conference calls, you’re not alone. Zoom fatigue is real, and one way to fight the burnout from all of the conferences you find yourself on is to invest in some higher-end tech that can help you participate more presently. Separate webcams are much more reliable and offer higher-quality video feeds than your laptop’s camera, which can help eliminate lag and other issues. A separate webcam or headset can also provide superior audio quality.
For the best options when it comes to webcams, it’s hard to beat an electronics retailer like NewEgg. NewEgg has a powerful search feature that allows you to sort by price and manufacturer, as well as video capture resolution. Plus, with reviews from other customers, you’ll be able to know about the pros and cons of each webcam before you make a purchase so you won’t need to deal with returns.
Create a separate workspace.
Dual modality is becoming more and more important, and as homes, condos, and apartments across the country are becoming offices and schools, as well as residences, it’s crucial that you have a space that makes you happy and does double (or triple) duty. Even if you don’t have a separate room to serve as a home office, it’s important to create a small corner of your home to work from. This sort of work can go a long way in helping you feel like your work-life balance is a little bit better than it would be if you were working from the couch.
Purchasing a desk and an ergonomic desk chair will go a long way in differentiating your office space from the rest of your living quarters and will keep you comfortable and focused at the same time. Even putting up a wall calendar can help to create a space that helps you feel like your work isn’t encroaching on the rest of your home life.
