A starters guide to remote working

Working from home comes with a few challenges. The first few weeks will be like the first few weeks in any new office – you’ll feel a little lost for a while as you find your new routine, and work out how to balance working with home life. This starter’s guide will give you a few tips to make the transition easier and healthier. But let’s start with lesson one: go easy on yourself! This is a big change and it’ll take some getting used to.

In times of change and disruption, it’s natural to feel a little anxious. So it’s really important to make sure you’re getting good quality sleep and eating the right things. And you’re likely to be more sedentary than normal, so exercise goes from a should-do to a must-do. Maintaining a healthy and balanced lifestyle will not only help your mental wellbeing, it can also assist your immune system to fight infection and disease. Check out Healthy at Home for some great home exercise and healthy eating tips.

It’s a little disorientating at first to lose your normal routine. So you need to build a new one quickly. Firstly, establish good boundaries between work and home. For example: try to avoid working where you normally relax. Then build a structure for your day – preferably keeping it similar to what you did before – wake up, get dressed, have brekkie, commute time which you could use to read or listen to a podcast, then start your work day. At the end of your day, shut down, switch off and don’t get tempted to read emails as dinner is cooking. And remember to make time for lunch breaks, the morning coffee, even daydreaming!

Digital tools are great at keeping us connected, but some platforms almost make it too easy. They’re still no substitute for face-to-face video calls or even the humble phone call. Try mixing up your use of communication tools to keep it fresh. A good trick is to leave a group chat going as you work, so you and your colleagues can just chip in when you want – just like a real office environment.

Just think about all the times in a normal office that you’re not actually talking about work. Like making a cup of tea in the staffroom, waiting at the printer, standing at the lifts. All of these little moments create a sense of belonging, so we need to try include them, when we’re working from home. Schedule social catch-ups, team chats, even lunch breaks and cups of tea over a video-call!

Transitioning to working from home affects everyone differently. So if you’re not coping very well or just need someone to talk to, reach out to your family, friends and colleagues, or a trusted counsellor. When you’re working from home, you still need your village.