While working from home might have been a novelty to many at the start of the pandemic, there is no doubt people are starting to hit a wall as winter edges closer. Although this sentiment of feeling fed up is only natural, there are a number of simple techniques people can adopt in order to ensure they remain motivated to produce quality work over the next few months. Here, Chris Farmer, leadership and management training expert and founder of Corporate Coach Group discusses some of his top tips.
Dress for work, even when at home
Although it’s tempting to roll straight out of bed and start working, this is not a healthy habit to get into. Just because your physical place of work has changed, it doesn’t mean that your appearance needs to as well. As a result, you should take the time to get ready as you would if you were heading into your usual working environment. This helps to create a ‘professional mindset’ and ensures you are ready for the challenges which lie ahead that day. Dressing appropriately for work also means at the end of the day you can change out of your working clothes into your loungewear, further creating this divide between work and play. This a particularly effective technique for people who are finding it difficult to switch off from work.
Create a separate workspace
When working from home, the associations between ‘work’ and ‘not-work’ become blurred because the two activities are taking place at the same location. It is therefore important you create a separate space for work – this not only ensures you have an environment which is conducive to being productive but also ensures you have a place you can unwind in once you have finished your working day. While not everybody has the luxury of a home office, simply having a separate chair and desk is enough to create this separation
Form a support network with like minded people and talk to them every day
One of the biggest aspects we miss about being at work is the social interactions we have with colleagues. As a result, many people find working from home very isolating. To combat this it is a really good idea to create an alliance with two or three like minded individuals who (preferably), you do not work with, but who are in a similar position as you. This can be a really effective way of reminding yourself of the bigger picture and that in a sense we’re all in this together.
Your support network may be from different companies or even a different industry but it is key this is composed of people who have an upbeat and can-do attitude. You will all be able to inspire and support each other through any difficulties you may be facing. The group will also be there to celebrate your wins – something which is important to make time for especially when very few of us have much to celebrate.
Maintain a healthy lifestyle
The great thing about working from home is that we all have a little bit more time to look after our mental and physical health. While it may be difficult to find the motivation to exercise without the impending holiday to look forward to, there are a whole range of benefits of exercising. If you enjoy running, why not go for a jog at lunchtime to break the day up and to take your mind off anything which may be causing you a lot of stress? Alternatively, just a simple walk at some point during the day could do you the world of good.
On top of exercising, it is important you eat a balanced diet and ensure you are getting enough sleep. Keeping yourself in top physical and mental shape will enable you to maximise your productivity at work while enjoying the free time you have outside of work.
Keep your eye on the end goal
I know many of us are fed up of hearing this advice but it really is important to remember that this pandemic will not last forever. Life will return to some normality again and it’s important that we all continue to focus on our long-term aspirations which we had before this all kicked off in March.
The human mind can tend towards one of two states: ‘goal focused’ or ‘drifter mentality’ and it’s important to focus on the former. When working from home our biggest danger is that we lose our focus. We become distracted, disenchanted and we lose our edge. The solution is to continually monitor our state of mind and to do everything necessary to maintain a goal-focused mentality.
The only way out of trouble is to go forwards, by setting goals, formulating plans and continually adapting ourselves so we are able to make progress, even when working from home.
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By Chris Farmer
Chris Farmer is the founder of Corporate Coach Group and has many years of experience in training leaders and managers, in both the public and private sectors, to achieve their organisational goals. Since he set up the Corporate Coach Group in 1997, Chris has designed and delivered thousands of training programmes and has coached and motivated many management teams, groups and individuals.
