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work-from-home-300x149 Positive Aspects of Working from Home

Barely hanging in there while working from home, or has it been surprisingly easy? It’s been almost three months since the majority of the city, and the world went into lockdown mode, with every major industry grinding to a halt. From agriculture to the technology sector,  major losses have been experienced everywhere. The technology sector has been a little privileged in retaining its jobs, and not only that, working from the safety of home. However, we recognize that it’s difficult to see the silver linings sometimes, especially in a dark time like right now. But we want to share with you some reasons why working from home can have a really positive outcome. 

More Time, More Benefits

Some people have the innate ability to complete work while on the way to work. Multitaskers are far and few among us, but they do exist. Managing calls while driving long distances to work, or pulling out their laptops on the skytrain, some people just have a knack for working on the go. But for the rest of us (not to mention those who suffer from motion sickness), it’s not always that simple. The daily commute, which for some adds up to a significant chunk of the day, turns into a dreary cycle of wasted time. Maybe this isn’t you, and you really enjoy the peace of the morning commute. But we’ve realized that this newfound time, perhaps tallying up to a couple of hours, is a joy to behold. 

What can you do with this extra time? For some, it means getting started with the work day earlier and in fresher spirits. It allows for some time and space in the day to breathe, or incorporate creativity and innovation into an otherwise jam packed schedule. Or maybe this means more time to sleep and recuperate, one of the most crucial parts of a productive lifestyle. Think sleep is overrated? Read this article by Harvard Business Review, it might change your mind. 

A Forced Pause = Re-Examining Internal Systems

This time, although stressful, is an excellent way to force a pause and examine the internal systems of your organization. How is your security system running? Do you have WPA2 encryption enabled on your home wireless network?  Do you use multi-factor authentication (MFA)? If not, this would be a great time to install it. Requiring more than one mode of authentication when logging into your Microsoft Azure portal is crucial in this day and age. For more information, click here.

Improved Work Life Balance

We, at Optimus, have always demonstrated a deep belief in work life integration. For some, this is a new concept, or something daunting that only a few can achieve. But in reality, it’s not! Work life integration is not about letting your work life take over your home/personal place of being. In fact, it stands for the opposite. How can you bring the best version of yourself to work everyday? And how can you bring that person back home to your loved ones, creating connections between the two? By intertwining two seemingly “separate” worlds, there is less room to get “burned out” at work as well as in day to day duties. This does not mean checking your work email at the dinner table, but it does mean having meaningful conversations about your day with those that you care about! 

So what does this have to do with working from home? Well, in this strange era, work and home life are colliding in ways that we haven’t seen before. For freelancers and many people in the creative industries, this is no big deal. But for those of us who are used to working 9-5 at a desk with coworkers, it may feel like the world is imploding. How can you work all day in a place where you live, eat, and rest? If you haven’t already checked out our article on maintaining/increasing productivity while working from home, it’s a great place to start! In addition to that, think of working from home as a new opportunity.

A New Opportunity!

What do we mean by a new opportunity? Well, with working from home comes additional flexibility. Depending on your team and management, flexible work hours could come into play. If you are now juggling kids and their schedules as well, all cooped up at home, it gets tiring! We get it. But try and see how you might be able to integrate your schedules with those who are also living at home. Take breaks and have meals at the same time. Maybe go for a walk together! Work life integration is key in a time like this. To make your transition more comfortable you should also look into the tools that you might need while working from home. We are hosting a webinar series that focuses on this aspect and would be a great place for you to start.

Working from home has been exhausting for a myriad of reasons. And we’re sure there are many we haven’t covered. But looking at the silver lining in this situation is often a good starting point to remind us of what we can be grateful for. 

 

tea-cup-laptop-apple-7360-scaled-e1585866114401-300x177 Playing Pretend: How to Keep Productivity Levels Up While Working From Home

When you are used to working from the office, staying home and trying to meet deadlines can prove to be a challenge sometimes. Various industries have been affected by COVID-19 in different ways, some more detrimental than others. We at Optimus are lucky to have the luxury of mobility; we can work from home. But when sitting alone on the couch, with no coworkers in sight, how can we stay focussed? We have a simple, yet absurd solution. Play pretend. 

Dress to Impress

Stay with us, we know how strange it may sound. But just as important as brushing your teeth and washing your face before working from home, we encourage you to get dressed up as if you were going into the office. Not only does it hit “refresh” in your mind for a new day, it puts you in the headspace of work, rather than lounging around. Dress as if you could be “Skyped by a potential client at any moment” says an article from The Guardian. It’s not just about having other people there to view you in professional attire, it is about taking the same time to respect yourself and get into the right frame of mind as you would on a regular workday. Keeping up your routine is key. 

Working From Home ≠ Working In Bed

“Why does that cause an issue? I should be fine working from bed! Shouldn’t I be comfortable while working?” Firstly, agreed. Don’t set yourself up in a sharp nook of your home and expect your finest work. But do remember: you’re not at the office. That itself creates chaos in what would otherwise be a smooth sailing ship. It’s hard to feel like working when you are sprawled out in bed, or laying out on the sofa. Just a suggestion, but we’ve found it helps to sit up straight and reside at a desk during work hours to encourage the same routine you would have had at the office. And speaking of routine, it leads us to our next tip: keeping a scheduled day including breaks and team calls (to keep your sanity and stay connected). 

Schedule Your Day

Not being in the office means a lack of people to bounce ideas off of, or grab a quick lunch with between meetings. But it doesn’t mean that you have to sacrifice some of these privileges completely. Why not schedule your day around outcomes, coming up with a daily goal to hit? And by laying your day out, and scheduling in some breaks for yourself, shoot your coworkers a calendar invite for a 15-minute brainstorm session, or maybe even a working lunch. Just because you are at home, doesn’t mean you have to isolate yourself from the office community; stay connected! But while staying connected, remember to keep boundaries between your work and personal life. Getting stuck working all the time because you can’t “turn off” or not working at all because you are watching TV, is not productive either. 

Be Careful of Isolation

When staying home, especially if you live by yourself, it can get lonely sometimes. Just as it’s important to stay connected and integrated with your office community, staying in touch with family and friends is a surefire way to keep yourself from feeling isolated. Text, video call, and email those who are1 near to your heart, or maybe reach out to some old friends. 

Distractions 

Finally, when working from home, it’s easier than ever to get distracted. Along with following the tips above, we encourage you not to get too caught up with the news. Staying informed is always important, don’t get us wrong. Listening to trusted resources and turning your TV on is good, but we would suggest not having the news channel on 24/7. Not only does it take away from your mindshare, it also may create a worrying atmosphere considering the state of the globe today: not conducive to a working environment. 

This pandemic has affected everyone, and we hope that you are staying home and healthy. But while staying home, we hope that these tips will help keep your productivity levels on the rise, without compromising your working environment.