The Art of Working From Home

 The Art of Working From Home

Post-pandemic, we have all had to acclimatize to ‘living in the office’. I’m a part of the first generation who did not experience office life pre-COVID, so the literature available for my introduction to the 9-5 has predominantly resided in the regions of ‘working from home or living at work', ‘hybrid-working or back to the office’ and ‘work-life balance increasingly harder to maintain’.

Lucky for me, I spend the three years prior to this new phenomenon as a full-time University student, so I learned quickly.

My first recommendation is to pack everything away once you’ve logged off for the day. Even though this may seem futile, never underestimate the importance of refreshing your space. You are not constantly reminded of work every time you walk past your laptop during the evening. This has really helped me to switch off and not be tempted to just ‘quickly check my emails’. If you have an office, it ensures that your space is ready for the next day, and that your work area does not merge into one continuous mess that rolls on throughout the week.

My second piece of advice would be to leave the house every day. No, this does not include your garden. Take your dogs out, grab a coffee at lunch, even just a 15-minute walk around the block does the trick. Especially in the UK winter months, it is usually dark by 4pm. I am not a morning person, so my lunchtime walk is really crucial for me to experience daylight that hasn’t only reached me through double-glazing.

The final thought I shall leave you with is that it is so important to get involved in the face-to-face stuff. Turn your camera on for meetings, go in every now and then (if your job allows) and attend those social events. Even if you only go for an hour, it is so important to connect with the people that you spend the majority of your weekly hours with.

Do you work from home, are you full-time in the office or are you a hybrid worker? Let me know in the comments!