Work outside the box
Carys Davis, Public Affairs Adviser, shares practical working-from-home tips. According to the Office for National Statistics, just 5% of the UK labour force worked mainly from home in 2019. For the vast majority of us, a daily habit of commute, coffee, banter, work, lunch, work and commute was the norm, a routine occasionally punctuated by a mandatory health and safety seminar or a colleague's birthday drinks. Now, in the era of coronavirus, millions of us have been adjusting to a new normal, where the blurred lines between home and workplace present a very specific set of challenges. As a homeworker for nearly five years, I'm going to share my top five most practical tips for getting stuff done from the comfort of your own home.
1) Get dressed! It can be tempting to spend the whole day in pyjamas, but having a shower, getting dressed and perhaps even taking a morning 'commute' around the garden will get you in the right frame of mind. For me, wearing shoes not slippers seems to make a massive difference. After all - dress smart, work smart. And if you're using video calling, it's much better for everyone if you're not caught by surprise in a tattered onesie mid-afternoon.
2) Use laundry as a timer. One of the best (and worst) things about working from home is being able to kill two birds with one stone when it comes to housework. Try setting your washing on a 50-minute cycle, and when it's finished (and bleeping madly), take a break. Studies have shown that around 45-50 minutes is the perfect amount of time for the human brain to concentrate on a work or study task. And ten minutes is ideal to reset the brain and prep it for the next session, which is probably just enough time to put that washing out and brew another coffee.
3) Block social media. Unless it's part of your job description, pesky social media can be a huge distraction. Apps like Freedom, Cold Turkey and Focus Me allow you to blacklist websites for set periods of time, for your own good. No more cat videos or fake health news, at least not until later.
4) Have a dedicated workspace. Any under-used corner will do. For example, a cosy work nook can often be created under the stairs, the one that's currently full of deflated footballs and broken mop buckets. If there's no room for a desk, perhaps a 'floating' or 'drop down' desk is the answer - these ingenious contraptions fold flat against the wall when you don't need them. Wherever you set up, face away from the television!
5) Turn up the volume. If working in silence feels odd, the right music can be motivating. Try YouTube for a wide variety of focus music which uses binaural beats to aid concentration. Spotify compiles playlists for any mood, including 'Monday Motivation' and 'Brain Food' mixes. Classic FM works well for me, and also tends to deter children. If you miss the specific hubbub of the workplace, try a talk radio or news channel quietly in the background. You can even recreate the office atmosphere authentically with sounds effects you can find online - complete with loud typing, shrill ringing phones and the infuriating murmur of other people's phone conversations.