Many people work from home post-pandemic, and I’m happy to be one of them. When I started working from home in 1990, though, it was highly unusual. After 30 years of working remotely, I’ve learned that several key factors will add to your success.
First, have a separate space with a door that closes. A separate office will lead to better focus during working hours. It will also allow you to walk away from work and close the door after work. That room needs good soundproofing and excellent lighting.
Next, pay attention to ergonomics. You need a high-quality chair. Some people find a footrest helpful. If you use a laptop computer, get a stand to bring it up to the right height. An external keyboard, mouse/trackpad, and monitor will significantly improve your situation. The monitor (or monitors!) should be placed so you don’t look up or down or turn your head to see the screen. Your keyboard should be at the right height for you, not at the height of most tables or desks I use a sturdy keyboard/mouse tray mounted under my desk.
Third, getting support from IT people at home is more challenging, so you need to be more mindful of what you’re doing. Everyone will have technical problems at some point. Protect your data! I back up to a cloud service and use an external hard drive with Time Machine.
You can only work well if you are healthy. It’s too easy to get hyper-focused on work and blur the boundaries between work and personal life when you work from home. Turn the computer off at the end of the workday and walk away. Make time for movement and fresh air regularly.
Finally, be mindful of staying in touch with your co-workers. Make a little time for chatting. Find out how they spend their time away from work. Pay attention to their moods and ask how they’re doing, just as you would if you were in an office with them. If you’re in leadership, consider making time for team-building exercises or socializing to open meetings.
Photo by vadim kaipov on Unsplash