Top 10 PROVEN Tips to Setup a Temporary Work From Home Office Successfully

The one question I am often asked by acquaintances and customers is: How do I ensure business continuity when I allow my team to work from home?

My answer is – make sure you create a culture and technology environment to allow a successful setup of a temporary work from home station.

I understand that for some people, working from home instead of the conventional workplace may be a cultural shock at first. Some people even consider working from home rather unproductive, they feel lonely and not motivated enough to finish projects because they miss the company of others. In my opinion, this is a very old way of looking at a workspace.

In this age of technology, we can enable people to communicate remotely via advanced video tools and technology. Technology is the hallmark of efficiency and productivity at the workplace of today. In our day-to-day business operations, we benefit from technology at every level, especially for information sharing, networking, and communication. The best thing about technology is that it allows us to conduct business operations and communications remotely.

So, working from home (WHF) is no big deal really, if only you know how to successfully adapt to the new work environment.

In this regard, I want to share my tried-and-tested tips that will surely encourage productive results for you and your team.

1.   Consider your Home Office as a Virtual Office:

It is only a matter of perception that prevents people from performing well at home. If you aren’t working from your office, this shouldn’t affect your productivity because the only thing different is the way you communicate with your colleagues, customers, and partners. In fact, you are still with them, virtually though. That’s not such a big change only the way you perceive it.

2.   Setup a Workstation:

If you haven’t set up a proper workstation at home, you would miss the regular working environment. That’s why some people don’t work as productive from home. To deal with it, set up your home office just like your workplace to feel more connected to work. Working from your bed or sofa is not too ideal for ensuring productivity. Make sure to include a facility at your home office from a desktop, a good chair, internet connection, power source, video camera (if not built into your laptop), headset and of course enough light to look good on camera.

3.   Define your WorkSpace:

They say the home is where the heart is, but I think it is also where your family is. So, whether you live with family and kids or roommates, you need to define your workspace if you want to get things done without disturbing others or being disturbed yourself. After all, you would also need a quiet environment for working and others would need their privacy too. Dedicating a room or an area for work will enhance your productivity too.

4.   Use Technology to Virtually Meet your Team Regularly:

The only thing that bothers workers when they work from home is losing connection with their team. However, given the technological advancement, working remotely without compromising upon quality of teamwork or communication is not difficult anymore. So, stay in contact with your team and follow all necessary work. For my team, we meet every morning for a quick 15-minute Huddle to connect and discuss the day. This way, you can catch up on work, assign tasks/goals, and enhance the mutual bond.

5.   Use Nature to Nurture Productivity

Preferring natural light may seem odd initially, but trust me, it is important. Working from home often deprives one from that feeling of going out in the day for work. But, if you set up your home office at an area where you can get plenty of natural light, you will definitely notice a difference. So, let the light in as natural light will instantly uplift your mood and keep you motivated.

6.   Get Virtual Background

Don’t disregard the value of a decent real but in most cases virtual background. When having a video conversation, a professional virtual background can help people get the needed professional impression from you. Moreover, it has a unique psychological impact on your entire thought process as you instantly get into work mode.

7.   Prepare Well for Video Communication

Work from home largely involves having video conversations with your team or customers. This means, people will see you, which is great as it helps to create the same environment as you would have at your workplace. But you should be prepared for it. Get the most feasible equipment to make disruption-free video calls such as a good quality webcam and headset, enough lighting to ensure a clear view of your face, and as mentioned above a decent virtual background.

8.   Give yourself a Break

Believe it or not, working from home can take a toll on your nerves and energy levels. You have to be constantly available online to have video calls, attend virtual meetings, send out emails timely, and ensure everything works perfectly. Working from home is a lot more intense; you will miss the brief interactions with your colleagues at the coffee machine, which help you feel relaxed. To deal with this, you need to give yourself a break at regular intervals. Free your mind and go outside to take a walk or jog, or simply enjoy the sunlight.

9.   To-Do lists and Calendar Blockers

More than the workplace, making to-do lists and calendar marking is important when you are working from home. That’s because you are all by yourself and have more responsibilities on your shoulders. So, ideally, your day should start with reviewing your to-do list and marking your tasks of the day on the calendar. This will help you stay focused and work more purposefully.

10. Dressing professionally

Don’t give yourself the liberty to dress too casually or informally considering you are at home and not the workplace. As I mentioned above, it is all about perception. In the morning, dress up professionally as if you are going to the office. It is particularly important when having video calls as it will help you look professional. More importantly, it will put you in the right mindset and you will be able to focus better on the job.

I hope these easy and quick tips will help you transition effortlessly towards working from home and create the ideal set up to retain the same productivity level as the office.

Feel free to share these tips with your team and reach out to me for any questions.