Home Office: How to work from home or remote successfully

Those who have never worked from home usually imagine that they are sitting comfortably on the sofa in their pyjamas and working through their e-mails. This is not the case. Especially if you have to prepare for a longer home office phase, there are some things to consider in order to continue to do your work efficiently. We have put together some tips for successful work from home for you:

Just because you are not commuting and going into an office does not mean you should skip your weekday morning preparations. Wake up at your normal time, shower and get dressed. It may sound trivial, but this helps you mentally prepare for the day ahead and get into the "I'm going to work" mindset..

The key to being successful in any professional role is communication, but when it comes to remote work it is an even more important asset. Since you are no longer a few desks down from your coworkers or your manager, it is important to schedule 1:1 check-in meetings with them on a regular basis to connect. Use these check-in meetings for example to bring important milestones up on your own, as it gets even more difficult to keep on track when a lot of people are working remotely.

AIn addition, effective communication is important. So please consider if giving a quick call isn’t the most effective way to solve an issue. For e-mails, please prepare the content well and try to avoid unstructured, unnecessarily lengthy wording and consider wisely, who needs to be in copy.

Set yourself up for success in a place where you can focus. Maybe you can find a designated spot for work at home to make sure that you feel motivated by your environment and ready to tackle your tasks. Although it is tempting to stay in bed or head to your sofa, those who successfully work from home agree that you are best off setting up a station. If you do not have a desk, use your dining room table. Besides making you feel like you're at an "office," this helps you maintain good posture, avoid distractions, and leave your work behind at the end of the day.

This may seem like a convenient time to catch up on chores around the house, but it is easier than you would expect to get distracted. There is nothing wrong with taking a little break, but do not let chores distract you from being productive. You would not be doing them if you were at work either.

When the line between “workplace” and “home” starts to blur, you might find yourself stuck to your computer screen for a longer period of time. While that can sometimes be necessary when closing a major deal or finalizing an important presentation, give yourself time for yourself as well. Commit for example to your fitness routine, get some fresh air and make sure that you are creating blocks in your schedule to eat healthy, nutritious meals so that you can be focused and productive when you need to be.