You just need 3 things when working from home
So many of us are working from home.
I started working from home before it was mandatory and in time I learned a thing or two about what I need in order to get things done and feel good at the same time when preparing for a “home office” life.
Focus at least 30' at a time
In contrast with your office, your home has more distractions at hand that you are comfortable with:
A TV with a myriad of providers, your board games, your e-books and audio-books (ok, ok, maybe even some real books), perhaps a shiny new console.
So use the Pomodoro Technique, get a couple of quality over-ear headphones (e.g. the Sony CH700N combine good quality and a fair price) and get in the zone, in the flow state or whatever becomes trendy saying but don’t take a break from your task until the bell rings 25' minutes later… or if you are done of course!
Give your eyes a decluttered space
What is important is I’m not starting a Kondo’s fan speech here.
I don’t care if you have a mountain of things that actually spark no joy just behind your chair on the floor.
What I’m interested in is what the eyes see when you’re working at home.
Is the desk free?
If not, remove all the items from the desk that have nothing to do with your job and if you use them try to keep them organized.
Is the wall free?
Often you’ll have a wall in front of you, so keep it clean without too many pictures and writings. Your eyes WILL process all the information they can get in their “viewport” and it’s a good idea to let them only concentrate on your tasks and keep otherwise only things that can be part of a background.
A big printed photo of a panorama taken from the Cliffs of Moher is a good idea; a poster of the latest Foo Fighters world tour with all the cities they performed in? Not so much.
Yes, you catch my drift, remove also the socks from the floor in front of you and at least hide them in another room.
Get the physical aspect right
When working from home, you, well… stay at home (duh).
So, please, if there’s only one thing you learn from this short article, choose this and think about your body’s health.
Live the life of a pirate!
Walk the plank and enjoy the water (hopefully no sharks).
Walk: just walk, during a break, or before starting working preferably. After work you may not have the energy to do it.
Plank: start with 10 seconds plank and increase the endurance in time. Your spine will thank you.
Water: Drink during the day, maybe a long coffee or tea but possibly also some good plain water to keep the mind and body fresh.
Also, keep a good posture, maybe thanks to a good chair or working while standing up (yes, you can work while standing up without buying an expensive desk, just put a few books or boxes on the table as an elevation).
What do I NOT care about?
To finish up, here are the things I don’t care much about.
Let me know what you think about it, maybe you highly disagree and it’s fine!
I don’t care if you have a specific desk. A table will do just fine.
I don’t care if you have 3 screens and an ergonomic keyboard.
I don’t care if you wear a pajama as long as you’re clean and you’re not sharing your camera.
