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How to Transform Your Home Office Workspace
Times have changed in drastic ways in recent years. With the COVID-19 pandemic has come transformations which have given us no time to prepare in terms of both our work and home life. More people are working from home than ever before, some happy with the changes and some not. It can be a very difficult experience for those who perform better in their typical work environment. However, adaptation is key during times of adversity. This article should give you some insight as to how to make the most out of working from home.
Table of Contents
- Pros and Cons of Working From Home
- Optimize Your Wi-Fi for Your Home Office
- Equipment for Working From Home
- Helpful Hints for Achieving Your Workflow From Home
- FAQ
Summary
With millions having been ordered to work from home at the start of the pandemic, our technological developments have improved in a short time, as well as our methods on enhancing the quality of remote work life. Working from home provides an opportunity for many people to experience greater freedom but not without sacrificing some key components of in-office life, such as face-to-face team building. This post summarizes how to be a productive employee while working outside the office.
Pros and Cons of Working From Home
There are definitely some mixed emotions when it comes to the idea of working from home. Some employees have found that they’ve actually intensified their focus on tasks since working remotely, and appreciate the flexibility that comes with it. However, there are also many who feel that they have become less motivated and more distracted when working remotely.
Pros
- Helps combat the spread of COVID-19
- Gives workers more flexibility
- Saves employees gas money
- Helps the environment – less driving
- Prevents distractions in the office
Cons
- Lack of teamwork
- Less motivation to perform work tasks
- Lack of supervision
- Workplace disconnect
- Distractions at home
Optimize Your Wi-Fi for Your Home Office
When creating your perfect home office, the ultimate priority is fast internet and making sure that the connection you have is reliable and dependable on a consistent basis. Slow internet will have a negative impact on your quality of work and can vary greatly from hour to hour depending on the internet usage in your area. There are certain times of the day that your connection can fail due to the amount of people in your neighborhood who are also attempting to access internet at the same time.
The first step in choosing the best internet for your remote work is to consider what type of work it is that you are doing, including the amount of downloading and uploading that is taking place within your typical workday. For example, transferring large files throughout the day and hopping on multiple virtual conference calls may require you to invest in a faster internet speed, sometimes up to 400 or even 940 Mbps, depending on the amount of devices being used simultaneously in your home.
You can easily search for faster internet that is available in your area by using National Broadband or you can also take this quick and easy internet speed questionnaire to get a free estimate on which internet speed tier is the most suitable for you.
Use a VPN! Whenever you are working remotely, you should stay connected to a VPN because it protects your organization’s stored information that is meant to be kept private for internal use only. Your company might have their own VPN that you need to be connected to in order to even gain access to certain webpages. If so, don’t forget to always connect to it when working remotely, whether it’s at home or at a café or other public place. For more information, see our related post about VPN services.
Another tip – place your Wi-Fi router in the middle of your home where the signal can be easily transmitted throughout your workspace. Somewhere table-level is best, not in a closet or near a signal-emitting device such as a microwave.
You might find that a Wi-Fi extender is a good investment when working from home. Having a Wi-Fi extender can save you a lot of trouble if you typically experience a weak signal in your home. Another option is to use a mobile hotspot on your phone if you are eligible with your current plan.
Equipment for Working From Home
When working remotely, whether it be from home or some other location such as a coffee shop or library, it is extremely important to make sure that you have everything you need to get your work done successfully. People who have never worked from home before might be alarmed to find out that they are actually not as prepared as they thought and come to realize that they are missing a few key items which may include but are not limited to:
- printer
- additional monitor
- comfortable desk chair
- monitor stand
- webcam & microphone
- noise-cancelling headphones
Helpful Hints for Achieving Your Workflow From Home
Working from home sounds very appealing at first, however it can quickly take a turn for the worse if you are not maintaining a productive routine that keeps you alert and motivated. Here are a few tips that can help you reap the awesome benefits of a remote work lifestyle.
- Wake up at your normal time. Just because your workspace is now only steps away from your bedroom does not mean that you should sleep in until minutes before your start time. Set your alarm as you normally would and wake up at the same time as you do when going in to the office to start your day off right. You will be the most productive if you still complete all your typical morning tasks prior to clocking in whether it be brewing that first cup of coffee, spending some time your dog, or cooking a healthy breakfast.
- Take your normal breaks. When working from the comfort of your home, it can be tempting to break more often throughout the day, but you should resist that urge so that you can still enjoy your normally allowed two or three breaks per day. This will keep you on track and prevent you from losing focus on what tasks need to be completed each day.
- Stay connected to your employees/managers. This is a big one. It can be difficult to grasp on to maneuvering the remote work lifestyle when it comes to keeping your coworkers in the loop about your progress on tasks. This is what technology is for! Give your boss a call each day and let them know what your goals are. You can even hop on Zoom to meet virtually with your team to check in on how they are doing as well. Just because everyone is not together in person does not mean that collaboration and communication need to come to a halt.
- Designate your workspace for work only. One of the biggest struggles new remote workers face with working from home is the lack of separation from work and home. You can help curb that dreadful feeling by creating a designated space in your home that is meant for work and nothing else. Although it may be tempting to bring the laptop to the couch or even the comfy bed, it is not a good idea as it can and most likely will lead to poor quality work and lack of motivation.
Frequently asked questions
What is a VPN, and do I need one?
VPN stands for virtual private network, and you definitely want to make sure that you are logged in to your company's VPN while working from home to keep the private data of the company as secure as possible.
How can I track productivity when working from home?
There are several tools to use for tracking productivity such as Time Doctor, Toggl, RescueTime and more.
What internet speed is suitable for a home in which multiple people are working remotely?
If there are multiple people working remotely from within the same household, a download speed of at least 25 Mbps is probably necessary to achieve the best connection.
Written by Jessica Moore
Edited by Henry St. Pierre
