Many are making their first experiences with smart working or home office in the current era of the corona virus. What sounds great in the beginning often turns out to be a great challenge in reality.
We at Fischer Consulting have a long experience with home office and can give you some tips from this and the findings of brain research on how to make it work optimally.
1. Wake up at your normal time
Yes, we are in an exceptional situation. But that doesn’t mean that we have to change our sleeping patterns. It would be best to keep to normal working hours.
2. Dress as if you’re going to the office
It sounds tempting, but it is fatal: working all day long in pyjamas or jogging suits. When we dress for business, we send the right signals to our brain: today we work “normally”.
3. Make your bed
The US Navy Seals show us: a made bed is the first successful act of the day. We can build on this and perform many more successful deeds. Otherwise we are reminded all day long that there is an unmade bed waiting for us.
4. Determine your office hours
Decide what your office hours are. Do it for you, your family and also your colleagues and external partners. From when to when do you work and when is private time? This was the biggest challenge for us in the home office. On the one hand, it is tempting “to quickly switch on a washing machine”, on the other hand, I finish work in the evening when the children are in bed. In our opinion, these are the biggest challenges with the home office – the clear separation of work and leisure.
5. Determine the area in your home, which will be your home office
Ideally, you have an area in your apartment that becomes your home office. Not everyone will have these possibilities. This makes it all the more important to keep the work area in the kitchen tidy, for example.
6. Make a plan for the day
The home office environment easily tempts you to take a more relaxed view. But the day always goes by just as fast and at the end of the day only what you have achieved counts. As in so many areas of life, it helps to set clear goals for the day. The question must be: What will I have accomplished today at the end of the day? So plan each day individually and, in the case of longer home office hours, also make a weekly and monthly plan.
7. Eat healthy
Especially in quarantine periods, with less exercise, it is important to ensure a healthy and vitamin-rich diet.
8. Drink a lot
Drinking enough water is very important for our body and its performance.
9. Physical activities
Make sure that you plan physical activities despite the limited possibilities. You should allow 30 minutes per day for this.
10. Keep your mind fit
In addition to work, you should also keep your head fit through other targeted activities. Reading, listening to music, playing games (with the children) or watching documentaries on television can help.
11. Addition for leaders
For those who lead a team, one more thing: if possible, start every day with a short conference call of the whole team. Interaction and communication are more difficult when working online. Short online meetings at set times with a clear agenda and clear goals help to ensure that teamwork works well even at a distance.
Take these tips into account and smart working will also be a success for you.
What else helped you to implement smartworking and home office? We are looking forward to your comments.