Things You Can't Do When Working From Home
There is a sensation that comes with working from home: no travel expenses, and you can enjoy work flexibility. However, working remotely can be challenging if you don't create boundaries between your job and personal life. This can result in burnout, leaving you drained and disinterested to work.
Let us delve into what you can't do when working from home.
Things You Can't Do When Working From Home
- Not Separating Workspace from Leisure Space
At first, working from home appears to be an excellent opportunity to get a jumpstart on your to-do list. Cooking dinner, doing laundry, and cleaning the bathroom are instantly within reach when not working from the office. All these tasks are time-consuming, and your work probably takes as much or more than usual.
This would not have been the case if you had commuted to an office. But preserving boundaries will help you stay focused as a remote employee. Set clearly-defined work hours to help you be more productive at work. Don't incorporate leisure into your workspace.
Similarly, it's easy to spend most of your time answering emails or other tasks while sitting in your workspace late in the evening, away from your working hours. Unless a 24/7 work week is appealing, you should keep work restricted to specific hours. The idea is to set a clear line between your workspace and leisure space.
- Wearing Lazy Clothes
When working from home, it's best to strike a balance between keeping it professional and comfortable. Getting away from your original office dress policy can negatively affect your productivity at work because you'll feel less focused on attending to your pile of work.
For many employees, working remotely is an opportunity to flex your wardrobe. But research shows that our clothing affects our efficiency. No cohesive dress code applies to all remote employees, but having a professional set of outfits and avoiding anything shabby like pajamas would help maximize your performance.
- Not Having a Routine
Humans are habitual creatures. Even if we like assuming that we are fans of spontaneity, many would be overwhelmed with our daily routine and are upset once they're interrupted. When you commute to a similar workplace every week, you have a clearly defined routine: wake up early, go to work, take lunch, finalize some tasks, and then resume home at the end of the day. With no workmates around to talk to, it can be easy to keep working until late evening at home, leading to stress.
Create a routine that marks the beginning of your workday. For instance, take a couple of minutes to take coffee every morning, eat breakfast, or do anything you enjoy doing to begin your day. Then when you switch to work mode, do things that simulate that shift to you. For example, you can freshen up and wear your work clothes or open your timesheet and check-in, just as you'd punch in the office. The idea is to do something that helps you delve into the appropriate mindset to begin being productive.
- End each workday intentionally
Having a morning routine can help you know it's time to work, and the same holds for having a definitive end to your workday. For example, you can empty your inbox, switch to home clothes, freshen up, or go for a run.
After that, take 5 to 10 minutes to review your upcoming tasks and document the ones that matter the most.
- Not Scheduling Breaks
When working from home, the day can fly by quickly, and your co-workers can't just stop by your desk to convince you to accompany them to lunch. This can make you feel physically drained, so be sure to allocate time to stretch, move, and eat all day long. It may seem obvious, but employees in various work settings find it difficult to remain healthy in a desk-bound workplace.
The idea is to work in realistic, short blocks and ensure you have some rewards during break time: a cup of coffee or two episodes of your favourite TV show. Also, ask for a lighter workload if you feel unmotivated at work.
Here are the advantages of scheduling breaks when working remotely.
- Energy boost: breaks that involve the body and mind in an activity unassociated with your work can boost your energy levels.
- Increased motivation: After a short break, you'll feel more driven to carry on with your assignments.
- Improved problem-solving: After taking a break from a work-related issue and resting, you may find it easier to solve any problems you're experiencing.
- Improved memory: Breaks give your brain ample time to load new information, so you can discover that you have better memorability and renewed focus when you schedule work breaks.
Other benefits of scheduling breaks while working remotely include increased alertness, creativity, and work-life balance.
So when do you need to take breaks?
It would help if you took breaks when:
- You want to focus.
- Your eyes are sleepy.
- You've achieved your daily quota.
- The news cycle interrupts you.
- It's mealtime.
- Your children need interactions. Allocate some time to play with them.
- Working from Bed
Beds are intended to make you feel at ease and ready to sleep. They are not meant for working or sitting for lengthy periods. Working from bed can be detrimental to your health and well-being in unexpected ways. First, it subjects your body to an awkward posture that you must hold for long periods. It makes no difference if you have a high-density mattress. Poor posture harms your joints and muscles, and working from bed aggravates the problems.
Second, working from bed can compromise your sleep quality. It's best to treat your bed like a sleep sanctuary in that each element facilitates your sleep quality. Anything that doesn't align with this purpose must stay away from the bedroom. So, if you treat your slumberland as an office, it will cease serving its intended purpose. With time, your brain will begin associating your bed with work rather than sleep.
Unless your doctor suggests that you stay on bed rest or mobility issues require you to be bed-bound, establishing a dedicated space helps you set limits between your workspace and leisure space.
Take a Futon Mattress in Your Workspace
You've probably heard of the futon mattress, a simplistic yet elegant mattress that can be rolled up to double as a couch or bed. But why is there so much buzz surrounding this product?
Well, futon mattresses are designed to realign your neck and back. They are made of quality materials to maximize comfort for a great night's sleep. The fact that you can use it as a couch or bed means you'll have enough space for more than one purpose.
Do you have an extra bedroom but still need an office? No worries! Use the futon as an office couch and quickly convert it into a bed when you have visitors. Now that you have the idea of futon mattresses, why not try our selection of MAXYOYO futon mattresses? We have the latest version of the futon mattress, so you can be sure to get what you like. Above all, our MAXYOYO futon mattresses meet industry standards and are designed to withstand ill use for years. Not to mention, our products are reasonably priced, so you won't have to spend a fortune to get one.
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