Top Tips for Working From Home

The Pursue Fitness team are currently working from home and have come up with our best tips for WFH.

Not wanting our standards to slip we made sure to implement and share ideas with each other pretty quickly into the lockdown and after having some time to see how well they’ve worked for us we thought we would pass our tips onto our followers.

Try a few or even them all for yourself, if you’re not WFH and are currently in isolation or self-employed and unable to carry out your work then don’t worry some of our tips will still be good for you.

1. Stick to your usual routine

Set the same alarm, do your usual morning routine and have lunch breaks at the same time. This way your routine is not affected and your body clock will not be disrupted. Use your work time to get on top and in-front of everything, you’ll feel great for it. 

2. Don’t forget to get some fresh air.

Make sure there’s a plan in your day to get some fresh air. Being cooped up inside the house/apartment all day isn’t fun. Open the blinds, let some sunlight in. Swap the slippers for shoes and head for a walk or even a jog if you’re feeling it, now there is no commute there’s some spare time in the day, use it wisely.

3. Set up a work space

Don’t work from bed or the couch. Set yourself an area where your laptop isn’t on your lap, if it can’t be a permanent fixture make it easy enough to set up before and take down after work. Slouching or not using a proper seat will only cause un-comfort, keep your back supported.

4. Get dressed

You don’t need to get dressed into your work wear but get dressed. Freshen’ up and pop some clothes on… it will not only improve your state of mind, it will psychologically prepare you to start working and get you ready to start the day. 

5. Plan your day

Plan what work needs starting, doing or competing that day. Write it down so you stay on track and don’t forget what your plan was. It helps us to feel productive and to not forget what was important that day by all the extra bits that tend to appear and pop up throughout the day.

6. Prepare for disruptions

If you have family, parents or friends it’s best to set some clear boundaries with them while you work. It’s not being mean if it results in better performance at work. Even pets, they’re used to you being out at work so don’t feel bad that you’re looking at your screen and not throwing their toys or rubbing their bellies, they are used to it.

Just make sure when you’re on a break or you’ve finished work you’re giving those around you that attention, those boundaries will become clear.

7. Check in with co-workers

Speak to those you work with. Jump on a video call, don’t feel like you can’t communicate just because they’re not in same office as you anymore. Ask how they’re getting on, let them know if you need any or help or you’re there for them if they need you. Keep your loneliness at bay.

8. Take your eyes off the screen.

Take yours breaks. At lunch and the end of the day, stop working. Log out so you can’t be contacted or close the computer. Don’t feel bad, it’s what you are allowed to do and need to do. You need to switch off and replying to that email in your own time will mentally drain you.

Don’t forget when the work day is done, stop there. It is really easy to “just finish something off” but we all know it never takes 2 minutes. It’s still going to be there tomorrow.

9. Listen to music

It can either be a bit too quiet or a lot more background noise than you’re used to so give listen to music or the radio, if there are other people pop on some headphones. Find a chilled playlist on Spotify, or have Alexa choose… whatever your choice there are lots of choices out there so it won’t get repetitive.

10.  Set yourself a daily goal

Learn something new, do them jobs you’ve been putting off. Just make a plan for what goal you want to do that day, when and how you’re going to do it. Take this time to change things up or improve on certain aspects of your life.

We hope we’ve given you a little bit of help to make this unusual time that little bit easier. Let us know your favourite work from home tips in the comments below.