Last updated on August 31st, 2024 at 03:59 pm

There’s no denying, we are all trying to adjust to this new lifestyle to the best of our abilities in the last few weeks due to the great 2020 pandemic. Of the many lifestyle changes, we’ve had to make getting used to working from home (wfh) is surprisingly turning out to be a hot topic for many. But what qualifies us as travel bloggers to write on this specific topic?

Well if you haven’t read our about us page then here’s a quick intro – we are both full time corporate employees who love to travel and share travel stories & short itineraries with people who are looking to maximize their short holidays. To add to that, I’ve been working from home for a little over 2 years now with occasional work travels & local office visits. Gaurav works from home as well a few days every week.

For what seemed very obvious to us when most companies mandated work from home a few weeks ago, many of our friends considered it a drastic change having a tough time being productive at home. So we thought we’ll share a few tips with you all that have worked well for us.

Granted this does not apply to all professions but it will apply to most corporate workers who can conduct the majority of their work on a laptop.

TIP #1: Find your home office space

Find yourself a quiet space in the house which you can call your office. PS: It would help drastically if this space is not your couch or your bed and is not in front of the TV. Ideally, you want an office desk and a chair set up but if you cannot manage that then use your dining table as your makeshift office desk.

Trust us, laying on the bed with your laptop will do you no good unless you really want to treat this as a holiday which I’m sure your boss might not approve of. Your productivity level will be up to two folds by just moving to a desk setting rather than a lounge setting. Also, try and use the term “working from home office” in meetings instead of “working from home”. Not only does it sound professional but you end up taking working from home seriously as well. 

TIP #2: Follow the usual routine

Take a shower, get dressed and keep following your regular routine as you would when you went to work. It is so important to feel and dress the part you are playing. You are bound to feel like taking another nap if you stay in your nightdress all day long.

I’m not suggesting wearing PJ’s is a bad thing when working from home but experiment with your wardrobe and notice the difference in your productivity levels. Neither am I suggesting suiting up like Barney Stinson every day.

TIP #3: Define boundaries with others at home

If you have adult family members at home it becomes much easier to define boundaries. There have been days when Gaurav ends up wfh too and I need to ask him to knock on my “invisible door” before talking to me during work hours. I’d do the same for him! Just because I am staring at my laptop and am not on a work call doesn’t mean I could be disturbed. You have to mindfully ask the other person if they are free to talk.

PS: Sorry guys, we don’t have kids yet so I cannot share a perspective on how it is like to wfh with kids around. But from what it’s worth in this pandemic situation when the daycares and schools are shut down most companies and bosses are very considerate of the fact that you are juggling parenting in addition to your daily work routine and are becoming more flexible with your modified schedules.

TIP #4: Over-communicate

Modified schedules bring me to my next tip which is over communication at work. Since you do not have real visibility on the folks that work with you, it becomes pertinent that you are doing a little extra to notify them of changes to your schedule. This means your calendar needs to be up to date than ever with not only your work meetings but also with any personal time commitment you might have during work hours.

Additionally, since most work related communication is not happening in person anymore it becomes very important to make sure your message is getting across appropriately via the technology available to you. Sometimes email can easily be overlooked but you can pick alternate platforms such as chat messages, phone calls, and text messages to pass on the information. I cannot stress enough how over-communicating is actually a good thing when you work from home.

TIP #5: Maintaining a work-life balance.

Working from home could easily come with a notion that you are available 24/7. What started off as a fun exercise soon starts to feel like drowning in work since you are always a few feet away from your laptop or cellphone at home.

It doesn’t have to be that way. Create your own daily schedule and be clear to communicate that to your team. This could mean blocking your calendar after work hours so no one can schedule a meeting. You have to create that line between work and personal life when working from home. Learn to manage your time wisely and shut down your laptop after work hours as you would when you usually left work.

TIP #6: Eating healthy

A very important supplement to maintaining the work-life balance is to focus on your daily diet. Try to follow the same diet plan as you would when you go to work. Just because your kitchen is a few feet away doesn’t mean you have to snack all day long. It becomes extremely challenging for those who are used to grabbing lunch outside every day at work and it will require more meal planning than ever.

We struggle with this one all the time too and we’ve noticed if we plan our meals for the next day the night before we are able to manage our schedules much better. Don’t forget to drink a lot of water as you juggle multiple things, it’s easily the most forgotten task.

TIP #7: Engage in physical activity

This tip probably goes hand in hand with eating healthy. You have to remind yourself to take short breaks often during the workday and engage in some form of physical activity. Go for a short walk or just put a reminder to get up from the chair and move around every now & then. Try to carve out time to do fun work outs at home now that the gyms are closed, if not every day then atleast a few times a day.

I am guilty of sitting in my home office chair for hours at a stretch and then complain about a sore back. But lately, I’ve started to pace around as I take work calls whenever possible.

TIP #8: Personal interaction

The thing I missed most when I switched from an actual office to home setting was the personal interaction and water cooler gossips. But remember you still have an option to set up some time with your work friends to chat/gossip/vent/whatever beyond work calls. Take the time to call them in between meetings or use video conferencing to have these conversations to feel connected personally.

TIP #9: Turn on your video conferencing

As much as we’re working on getting used to this practice, I have noticed it’s quite refreshing when others have their cameras on in meetings. And why not, after all, a camera doesn’t lie and it will help you be more professional when you know that people can see you behind your laptops and vice versa. Another great way of personal interaction in work conferences.

TIP #10: De-stressing activities

Under normal circumstances, this would mean going out to eat or taking a holiday or catching up with friends & family. But in today’s world where we are all in lockdown and practicing social distancing (I do hope everyone is doing this diligently!), the usual de-stressing activities are unfortunately not an option.

Here are some relaxation techniques that you can do while staying at home:

• Breathing exercises: Deep breathing is a very good exercise to quickly relieve instant stress.
• Visualization exercise: Take a few minutes and imagine transporting yourself to a place and setting that helps you calm down. Whether it’s a beach with your favorite drink or a mountain top after a rewarding hike.
• Sleep: Try and get your normal 6-8 hours of sleep in order to have a productive day at work. Limit your exposure to electronic devices before sleeping.
• Telehealth: With everything going remote, health care providers including therapists are also finding new ways to support and treat patients. Contact your health insurance provider to confirm if they participate in telehealth.

And that’s it, hope these tips help you get somewhat sorted and productive in your working from home journey.