Now that we are over a year and a half into the pandemic, most of us have read advice about how to work from home. Creating routines, closing devices, and living room exercise have all been written about extensively. I have read many of these articles and incorporated some of these strategies into my practice while I work from home. There are a few things I do that I haven’t heard anyone writing about. So here are my favorite not talked about tips for working at home.
- Shower – On a normal day most of us shower before going to school or the office. Continue to do that. It gives you an “official” start to the day and helps with routine building.
- Wear underwear (and wear something over your underwear) – Working in your pajamas is definitely one of the perks to working at home, and we all know that it is not uncommon to wear our comfy clothes on our bottom half and work clothes on our top half. Like a shower in the morning, putting on a pair of underwear gives us a more official start to the day. Also, I’m sure by now almost everyone has seen one of their colleagues forgetfully rise from their seat, revealing they are wearing underwear with nothing over them. Don’t be that person. Remember, people do screenshot those moments.
- Purchase a green screen for your chair – Most of us are using some type of virtual background during our meetings. The green screen serves a double purpose. First of all it provides a consistent background so that items behind you are not popping in and out of view. Second, if there are other people in your home this blocks their activities when they are moving around behind you.
- Use one device for work and another for home – I am fortunate enough to have a personal laptop and another laptop issued to me by my school. Before online learning began I rarely ever took my work laptop home with me. Having a personal device allows me to leave my work at the office by shutting my laptop. Once you stop using your work device for personal use you will never want to go back.
Whether you are working from home, work, or a combination of both, a good routine and some helpful hacks will help you to have the best possible remote work experience. Feel free to post your favorite tips in the comments.
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