Key strategies to ensure you can effectively and happily work from home

Loneliness, disconnect, and isolation are common problems in remote working. As more and more firms are implementing work-from-home policies during these uncertain times, the RedLaw team has set out some key strategies to ensure you can effectively and happily work from home:

• Keep a dedicated office space – Ideally this should be and area with a dedicated desk with a supportive chair. This will help create the divide and separate your work life to your personal life. If you’re organised you will work more effectively and efficiently;

• Inject structure into your day – Having clear guidelines for your working day is essential to maintain work-life balance. Getting into the right mindset for those who have never worked from home can be a challenge, but if you start to deviate from your core working hours to watch the next episode of your latest boxset, you can find yourself making up your work time extending into your social hours;

• Take regular breaks – your body needs to move, your mind needs to keep fresh. Get away from the desk, walk around when speaking to your colleagues or clients or put the kettle on. It’s ok to miss a call if you go to the bathroom, you’re not at your desk in the office 100% of the day anyway;

• Stay connected with colleagues – Chat channels/ online apps such as Facetime, Skype and Zoom are great. It’s important to see the familiar smiling faces of your colleagues to raise spirits and stimulate conversation at various times of the day. It is also a great way to share ideas, best practice and inject some fun and laughter into your day;

• Enhance relationships – Working from home doesn’t mean we stop building relationships with clients. If anything, this period of time where many of us are at home, outside of the corporate open-plan office state of mind, you may find you are able to connect in a deeper, more personal and more meaningful way to enhance client relationships;

• Music – Remote working can be lonely and isolating. Listening to quiet music can be stimulating, make you feel connected to the outside world and a great way to raise your mood, especially if your favourite song comes on;

• News – There will be a lot of conflicting and worrying information. Do not have the news on all day in the background as this will not only distract you but may also make you feel anxious. Your business will be sure to share any important news company wide;

• Use lunchtime to get out of the house – A walk in the garden or around the block lets you get fresh air and natural light. Make sure you create boundaries for rest periods, log off so you are not interrupted. When you return to your desk you will feel fresh and motivated for the afternoon ahead;

• Dress for work – Don’t don the pjs all day. Dressing for the office gets you in the right headspace and makes you feel more positive, engaged and ready for a great day;

• Exercise – It is incredibly important for your mental well-being to exercise the body as well as the brain. There are so many workouts online which you can do in the living room or on the patio. Kick off your day with a team challenge – perhaps a workout all doing the same 20 minute routine and chat about it for the first 5 minutes of your day on a team call to get the day started;

• Set goals – This creates a sense of achievement and will make you feel more positive. Remember to tick off tasks on your ‘to do’ lists. Meeting goals will keep you motivated and moving in the right direction;

• Communicate – You may have family members or children off at home with you. Don’t be afraid to mention this to clients in case there is some noise or distraction on conference or video calls. Many of your clients will find themselves in exactly the same situation, so don’t worry. We are all in this together - we need to support each other, show compassion and understanding at this time;

• Make social plans – Give yourself, your partner, family and/or your team activities to look forward to, no matter how small. If you have to move the plans back, it’s not the end of the world. Think about the future in a positive way, it’s vitally important to your well-being.