Keeping Your Sanity While Working From Home

Firstly this isn’t one of those nonsense articles telling you why people are working from home. It’s literally my pointers on what helped me not go insane on the quiet days and how to have a chat with you

 

Distractions 

I thought I would watch a fair bit of telly but the thing hardly goes on. Ticktok on the other hand. Things a menace when you are having a quiet day. 

I’ve found sticking on the radio in the background so it's not dead quiet or putting my mobile on the other side of the room for a few hours works a treat.

I think the key with this is just understanding what your distractions are. I’m guilty of having a sneaky bit of putting practice every now and then. But do it in moderation like you would do at work. Everyone has a natter and you do not get that at home so fill it with something else (Just make sure you get your work done)

 

Isolation 

This is the one for me, at times it is absolutely brutal. I’ve worked as part of a team when working from home and that is okay as you have the odd call here and there but again it’s very much business chat. 

I found putting in 5-10 minutes with someone a few times a day just to break things up and chew the fat (Not work-related at all) worked well.

But when I’ve been completely by myself that's a lot harder. I can tell you now a good long walk works wonders - go have a chat with the birds 🙂

 

Productivity

You either do it or you don’t. If you can’t be productive at home and you get in trouble for it then stop working from home. And no . . . putting on your work shoes and sitting at your desk won’t help you do more work.

 

Working too hard 

This one is very easy to do. You end up not taking lunch breaks, starting before you need to, and working later than you should.

Really its totally up to you how much effort you want to put in vs how much reward you get but for me diary management is key.

I drop the kids off in the morning and I am normally home by 9ish. But I do not touch anything work-related until 9:30.

Why?

Because I don’t want to. I’d rather take 20 minutes for myself, grab a brew, have a biscuit, look at BBC Sport and chill out. Then when 9:30 hits it's game time. 

Some employers hate working from home, some employees hate working from home

 

There are people in all camps 

 

Try it, make your own mind up