Remote Work
It’s been over 6 years. Time passes too quickly!
After many ups and downs and an adaptation that took me almost a year and a half, I managed to find some strategies to feel comfortable working from home without affecting both the pace of work and the well-being in moments of relaxation.
What is certain is that in this country anyone who ventures to start a business, especially after losing what little he had and being in debt, let’s say it is a challenge on a “hardcore” level! But this story was already told in the first publication “Hello, world!” on our blog, so I’m not going back there.
I begin by talking about a small study done recently by Worx on the impact of COVID-19 for those who worked in offices and were now forced to work from home. They are very curious data that even surprised me, now let’s see some:
- 89,4% considers that employees are motivated
- 86,4% see telework as a future trend
- 83,3% consider that teleworking maintains the company’s productivity
- 36,4% they even say that they will rethink the physical space in the company
These are very interesting data that finally seem to mark the turning point of something that, in my opinion, is already coming late.
We at MAIDOT joined the team and brainstormed on this topic, in our own way.
By this I mean that we spoke by video conference, each from home, as we have been doing for several years clearly with positive results.
From that exchange of ideas came some that I now use to share, in the perspective of trying to help those who are now forced to work from home and, especially, for those who never had to. So here are some tips:
1. Have your own space
This is the point I put first because it is, in my opinion, the most important! It is crucial to find a place at home where you have your notebooks, files, computers, etc. The perfect thing is to have a place outside the house that is the office / work area.
An attachment or something. However, not everyone is that lucky, so if you have the chance to make a room in your house your office, it’s good enough. If none of these are possible in your case (as happened to me at the beginning of the company), there is the option of finding a “corner” at home that is the “place of work”.
In my case, when I started the company, I was living in a T1 apartment with my wife (girlfriend at the time). He used one end of the living room table to have his laptop and some papers, properly organized, that at the end of the workday he always arranged to “close that area”.
That is, it is a purely psychological issue. I also tried to avoid being in that area outside of work. Although it was difficult initially because in the face of everything that happened, I worked on average 14 to 16h a day, 7 days a week.
2. Establish your work schedule
Whenever possible, you should define your working hours so that you can combine with everything else.
For example, who has to really stick to a certain time because, for example, they have to answer or make calls, in this case there is no flexibility. But for those who have the possibility to choose their working hours, they should combine with the rest of the family, to be able to have time to be together.
Establishing a schedule is also important to not become a “workaholic”, who for those who work from home and, especially, for those who like what they do, is at serious risk of falling into this error. But it is also equally important for those who do not like what they do, as they avoid having to drag their work because they are procrastinating, knowing that they have that period of work to complete the tasks and no more than that time.
3. Pajamas are only for sleep
There are those who, being at home, have the habit of always wearing pajamas. This is not a problem, whether we are on vacation, on a holiday or during the weekend. I personally don’t like it, so I get up the first thing is to get dressed. But there are a lot of people who like to wear pajamas around the house.
This is a risk because it is something that we psychologically associate with rest. Staying in pajamas and going to work is a negative point because it means that we are mixing laser with work, which tend to harm relaxation moments by not having something to shut down.
4. Keep the refrigerator under control
This serves both ways, not overeating but also not forgetting to eat. This second may be unusual, but it also applies. It is important that here in this sense there is a great deal of self discipline. Whether for those who have enough appetite or for those who lack it, the solution will be the same for both cases.
Create a list and times to know what you can eat and at what times. This will help not only to be aware of what you eat, but when and in what quantities. This way it will be much easier to have a healthy diet, with the body properly regulated by always eating on time and several times a day. It is important to always have water around to drink throughout the day.
5. Remember to get up
This is another rule of thumb! For those who work from home or who work in any other profession that requires sitting for a long time. While we are young, none of this matters, as it hurts nothing and we don’t even think about the long-term consequences.
But the truth is that the spine over the years has deteriorated and the position of sitting is not ideal and later, if we do nothing, you will have a great chance of having serious problems running a serious risk of having to resort to surgical operation for the treatment and relief of pain.
But not only the spine on, also several joints of the body such as in the wrists, knees, etc. Basically, it is important that every 40/50 minutes of work, we relax standing up for at least 5 minutes. It is a discipline that, like any other, when we get used to doing it automatically.
6. Do exercise
In this period in which we are launching this article, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, naturally this point cannot imply leaving the house due to the social isolation we have to do, for the common good of all of us.
However, we just don’t exercise at home if we don’t want to. Nowadays there is absolutely no excuse for not exercising at home. There are many channels on YouTube that give excellent tips and also gym pages on Facebook and Instagram that give some tips.
Creating a rule for training at least twice a week helps to energize your body and mind. Yes, because contrary to what many people think, those who exercise actually feel more energetic than those who do not.
A tip for those who spend all day sitting and created, for this reason, a bad posture, is to practice pilates. It helps to correct posture and create flexibility, which is lost for those who spend a lot of time clinging to the chair.
7. Frame your kids on the concept
For those who have children, it is extremely important to educate them right from the start to respect their workspace and the most important moments, for example, when you are in a video conference meeting.
In order to understand the need for concentration during the work period, it is necessary to calmly explain that the father, mother or both need to work without much noise in order to be able to talk to other people and be able to earn money so that they can then buy things for home.
One way of integrating them and, at the same time, playing with them, making them understand a little of what it is like to work at home, is to simulate a meeting with them. Give them small tasks to feel useful and busy, such as storing pens, storing sheets in a dossier, putting labels on books, etc.
8. Light
9. Look away
This is also an important aspect to avoid eye fatigue (my wife if you read this will be proud that I am using this term, she works in the field). Whenever possible, try to look every 20/30 minutes for about 10 seconds away. But looking away does not mean looking away from the package of cookies that is next to the screen and slightly away so as not to be too tempted to go there but close enough to reach out and reach out. Looking away is preferably on the street.
Those who live in the country are usually easy, as long as they have a window to the street close to where they work. For those who are in an apartment, it can be more complicated but regardless of the case, it is even a good opportunity to, if you do not have a window in the workplace, get up and take the chance to stretch a little. So put together two important tips.
10. Have minimally adequate means and equipment
This is an important aspect above all for those who work with specific technological needs.
For example, someone who works with the internet, who needs to transfer large amounts of data or make multiple video calls, needs slightly better internet access. Someone who works with video or image editing usually needs a more powerful computer.
However someone who works mostly with Word and Excel files locally on the computer, does not have a great need to do much more or to browse the internet, these requirements end up not being so relevant.
In any case, having minimally decent equipment offers less frustration during the work period and greater speed for those who can take advantage. And these are the 10 tips from the MAIDOT team to work from home.
You already know, during this period of the COVID-19 pandemic, # stay at home and stay protected with proper care. Take care of yourself, because that way you will be taking care of everyone. If we all make an effort, everything will return to normal more quickly.
Thank you and share your methods with us in the comments. 🙂
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