Survival Guide for Working from Home With these
10 Tips you will
survive alone in the Wild

Ten essential Survival Tips for Working from Home

Working from home feels hard sometimes? Your concentration wanes relatively quickly? You find it difficult to work through your tasks one after the other and feel burnt out after work? That doesn’t necessarily mean that working from home is not for you. You’re probably just missing the right survival strategy. And even if you are already doing well in your home office, you can certainly improve it. Here are ten tips for optimizing your survival strategy.

1. Adopt Routines

First and foremost, it is important that you maintain the same daily routine in your home office as you would if you were actually going to the office. The working day starts in front of the closet - with choosing your outfit. Choose an outfit that you would also wear in the office. Sitting in front of the screen in your pyjamas doesn’t necessarily harm your productivity, but with a presentable look you switch to a different mode - work mode. This helps you to focus and appear confident.

Routine also means that you take enough time before you start working. For example, by preparing a bowl of muesli and enjoying the obligatory first cup of coffee without rushing. After all, you’ll save yourself the time you’d otherwise spend commuting to work.

2. Set up your Workplace

You should designate a fixed place for your work and arrange it so that you feel comfortable. The furnishing basics logically include a desk, a chair, one or more screen(s) and keyboard and mouse. Also take the time to decorate your workplace so that it becomes your happy place - for example with plants or even a few candles. Provide snacks for in between. Ideally, they should even be healthy - nuts, for example, are very good sources of energy. But of course you also need to have some snacks with plenty of sugar from time to time. So make sure that your chocolate bar stocks are always topped up. 😉

Also make sure that your workplace meets ergonomic standards. The correct sitting posture is very important to prevent back problems in the long term.

In addition, you should not set up your workplace directly in front of a window. Daylight is important, but in this case the brightness gradient between the light from your screen and daylight is usually too high. This can give you a headache and make your eyes tired more quickly. If you sit with your back to a window, this can cause reflections on your screen. Ideally, there should be a window on the side of your workplace - preferably with an adjustable blind. This way you have enough daylight at your workplace, but are not disturbed by it.

3. Provide Tools

Once you have set up your workplace, you still need the right tools. This includes technology, i.e. a working power and internet connection. You will also need communication tools such as Microsoft Teams and collaboration tools such as Office 365, OneDrive and Google Drive to share data and files in order to work together with your colleagues (and possibly also to coordinate projects with your customers). If you make a lot of calls, it’s best to use a headset. Another essential item for your survival kit: your coffee cup.

4. Establish a Workflow

Create a schedule in which you specify which tasks you want to complete and when. Write to-do lists - preferably in digital form 😉. And set yourself goals at the beginning of the day and week that you work towards and with which you challenge yourself. Then, of course, it’s important to stick to the plan consistently. You should avoid disruptive factors that distract you from your work and take you out of your workflow every time. Typical disruptive factors can be:

• Smartphone (Put it down sometimes.)
• TV (Turn it off!)
• Housework (Does not run away.)

5. Maintain Structure

Regular breaks are also very important when working from home. If you are still struggling to find your routine, just imagine how your working day at the office normally runs. Think about when and for how long you take breaks there and use this as a guide.

Even if you don’t get on anyone else’s nerves with your chaos in your home office, you should also keep your workplace tidy so that it is easier for you to focus on the essentials. When you leave work, you should always leave your workplace clean so that you can finish the working day and start again the next day without having to tidy up first.

6. Maintain Communication

In the home office, you may be physically separated from your colleagues, but you are still not a lone wolf. It is important to stay in contact with your colleagues, for example via team chat or joint chat groups in which you can reach several people directly. Virtual team meetings for coordination should be a fixed part of the week. It is also helpful to document attendance and absences transparently so that all team members know what is going on with the others at all times. It is often possible to adjust your status in the communication tool when you go on your lunch break and indicate the time you return to your workplace in the absence note.

7. Integrate Physical Activity and Relaxation

Does most of your work take place in front of a screen? Then you should take your eyes away from it every now and then to relax them. Get up from time to time. Include a short walk in your lunch break if the weather permits, or do a few squats. Maybe even go to the gym to recharge your batteries and then hit the ground running again. And if you are the proud owner of an innovative standing desk, your spine will be happy if you make use of it from time to time.

8. Observe Hygiene

Cleanliness is also a must in the home office! Clean your work equipment such as keyboard and mouse regularly. This helps to eliminate unwelcome viruses and bacteria during the cold season or in pandemic times. Also remember to air your workroom regularly to maintain your concentration.

9. Ensure a Work-life Balance

Even if it is sometimes not so easy in the home office: try to separate work and leisure time as much as possible. This works best if you have a separate room in your home that only serves as an office and where you can close the door. This allows you to close off the working day. Otherwise, this can lead to so-called “work-life blending” - where you check your work emails or deal with the next morning’s meeting agenda while watching Netflix on the couch.

10. Reward yourself

When the work is done, you should really switch off your work mode completely and switch to relaxation mode. You’ve done a great job all day - so treat yourself to a reward at the end of the day! How about some good Italian food or a glass of red wine? 🍷

Conclusion

Surviving in the home office works great if you know your territory, set up your camp optimally and have the right tools. You should communicate regularly with your colleagues via smoke signals. And most importantly, you must keep fit to survive in the wilderness in the long term.