Tips to stay safe and productive when working from home during COVID19

Since working from home is now what we have to do, here are some suggestions for you to make it easier and more comfortable

Create Your Work Space

The first thing we recommend is to find a place in your home that is completely dedicated to work where people who may be living with you will know not to go so that you can concentrate. Some of us don’t have extra rooms or doors that close, so we may have people wandering in and out trying to talk to us. I’ve found that wearing a headset — even when I’m not on a conference call — quickly signals “Do Not Disturb” and reminds people to respect my work zone.

Stay Focused

The other thing I can’t live without is some sort of morning routine that gets me into the right mindset to stay focused on my objectives and keeps me motivated throughout the day. I use Headspace morning meditations, and also spend some time reviewing my weekly goals and setting up a daily to do list. I’m working on adding in more exercise to my routine, but for me, it’s challenging to add a bunch of new things overnight. Instead I’m making small positive changes every day — the baby step approach to change.

Keep it Clean

The major thing I’ve changed since the Corona Virus has come to town is that I’m much more vigilant about keeping my workspace clean and wiped down. I use rubbing alcohol to wipe down my phone, keyboard, mouse and desktop work area every morning. I also do it whenever I’ve had to go out and may have brought something back to the house. I also wipe down doorknobs and handles and other high touch areas.

Helpful Tools to Make Working at Home Easier

We’ve researched and tested a list of tools we recommend that will help you get up to speed quickly and increase your efficiency and professionalism while working at home. For example, we recommend Zoom rather than Google Hangouts or Skype for conference calling because it’s more stable than those platforms and doesn’t freeze up or cut out mid-call. In addition, they have a free option.

Source: Artella