5 Helpful Tips for Remote Workers at Home

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Many peoples perception of working from home is all sunshine and rainbows…or pajamas, snacks and back to back breaks, with peak production. We envision ourselves like hackers on movies just bashing away at a keyboard with laser focus concentration. However unexpected things can pop up and our minds, have a mind of their own. Here are some things to plan for, when trying to work from home.

1. Environment

Many people don’t realize their environment can impact their vibration, or in laymen’s terms their mood. Having an open and organized space can make it feel like you can breathe better. I don’t know how to explain this phenomena but I personally can attest to it.

Also, you want to make sure the space you work in makes you feel relaxed and happy. Decorate your desk and walls with things you like from movie memorabilia, gadgets and gizmos, to family photos.

2. Scheduled or timed tasks

There’s a phenomena where the amount of time you set our for a task, even if its more than required, you will us up to do the task. To combat this, you want to set an allotted amount of time to work on tasks, regardless if you finish, because to your surprise you may finish quicker.

If you’re a beginner at time management, you should try the Pomodoro Technique, to stay focused. This means working in chunks of 25 minutes and using a tomato timer or any timer, to then take a 5-8 minute break. You want to keep it under 10 minutes so you don’t have time to drift into thinking of doing other things. This is where you run to the restroom or grab a cup of water. This chunk of working some refer to as 1 pomodoro.

So after doing about 3-4 Pomodoros where you work nonstop then take short breaks, now you take a 20-30 minute break. This is where you play a game on your phone, or take a walk or have lunch. If you then return to do a second set of another 3-4 Pomodoros and even better, a third set after that, imagine how many tasks you would complete. Notice… I didn’t say how fast or how much,… I said how many you’d COMPLETE. The ultimate goal many of us struggle with at first.

Snacks or Lunch Break

It may seem like a joke for commercials to sell candy bars but hunger can actually affect mood. Humans become more frustrated quickly when experiencing hunger. There are many other distractions that can throw you off your work but being mindful of your physiological needs is at minimum base level awareness. You may want to have snacks nearby while you work and you definitely want to have a set time, for a full breakfast that will keep you full your entire schedule or a lunch break that will keep you productive the rest of your schedule.

Music Vs Silence

Some people can work better with music than they can in silence and vice versa. Find what works better for you. Studies have found classical music in particular lowers our cortisol levels and increases activity in brain cells related to dopamine secretion.

Ergonomics

Marriam Webster‘s definition of Ergonomics is: An applied science concerned with designing and arranging things people use so that the people and things interact most efficiently and safely.

This can be boiled all the way down to the way in which you sit at your desk, the way you reach for your keyboard, to the way you lift items. You want to make sure you have comfortable seating or maybe even look into standing desks if you find you slouch a lot. There are also posture correcting vests that can be worn throughout your work day.