Updated on August 6th, 2023

We all are passing through a worldwide pandemic, named COVID-19 and the situation has compelled us for working from home. Almost and every part of the world is severely affected by this health crisis. The numbers of causalities are rising day by day, although few nationalities seem to have controlled the spread of disease to some extent. Governments have ordered the complete or partial closures of life activities; businesses and offices are shut down. And still, there is no certainty when life will come to its normal routine.

In this scenario, when we all are sitting at home, few new ideas are also developing. Life never stops for anyone in any situation. It always creates new tracks and better opportunities. No matter how many setbacks you get but the basic principle of life remains the same. In today’s situation, we are learning new things. Technology is playing an important role these days.

Working from home is not a new idea to us, but it has become more focused nowadays. I have felt and learned from the present situation that working from home doesn’t mean that you lose your job or professionalism; rather, it creates a better work environment. The idea of working from home is awesome. You are sitting with your family surrounding you. Your cat or dog is staring at you, and you are involved in your official work. Such an environment is never boring; rather, it increases your productivity.

During my travels and meeting different people, I always heard the concept of working from home. I was thinking about the concept and believed it is not for everybody. Sometimes professionals from the call centre sector, some other consultancies, and a few more used to work from home and at different hours due to time variation between nationalities. Being in the sector of International Education consultancy, I tried this concept with few staff members. Reasons for trying this concept were different, including changed family circumstances of staff members and not losing my performing staff. I experienced that idea really work, and those staff members are still working for my office and really performing.

Successful people are always focused on their work, so staying at home cannot stop you from being more productive. So many different modes of communication are being used to operate work activities while sitting at your home.

In the present scenario, it is a new way of working. I have seen in my circles that everybody is discovering new methods of working remotely. Today we have so many options like Zoom, Skype, Facebook LIVE, Webinars, and other such options to interact with clients and staff. Many professionals like doctors, consultants, IT people are already using these tools, but the present situation has given a big boost to shift on these modes of communications. Many Colleges, Schools & Universities have started online lessons and video conferencing classes. There is nothing wrong if I say work is changed forever. The concept of working from home can boost productivity if we learn the right ways on how to set up our working style at home.

Fixing schedule for the day

While working from home, you get more flexibility to manage your time. In the early morning, when you wake up, you can easily switch on your computer and check few things like emails received and plan to reply to them as per your priority. As you will not get ready, dress up for the office, so you get plenty of time to schedule your tasks. You get the option to put on a pot of tea or coffee and start working. Same you can add a few tasks before going to bed at night.

Here I would like to suggest few tips. Start doing some things, what you normally do, when you are working from the office. Setting alarm in the morning, having breakfast and coffee, wearing a nice dress up, and fixing the schedule of things. Feeling like you are in the office is really important; otherwise, homely things will start distracting you.

Fixing a schedule for each day is significant to make your work and effort really productive. I agree we can’t generalize challenges that everybody faces while working at home. For some, it may be straightforward, and few may feel it challenging to stay focused. If we fix a fixed schedule, it will certainly help to maintain a working environment. Fixing things like coffee breaks, lunch timing will be supporting things for better coordination between team members.

Make list of task and update your status

When you are at your home office, no one is watching you. There is no boss, so you don’t feel any pressure to get stuff done immediately. But you have to keep in mind the necessity of completing that work done on time.

When you are sitting in your home, a lot of distractions and temptations may affect your work. Being transparent to your manager or other team members is essential; otherwise, the team’s productivity will get affected. In case, because of some reason, you are not on your computer, your team must know it. Making a list of tasks and sharing it with team members can be helpful. Updating your status regularly through any mode of communication will develop more confidence with team members.

Few brakes are necessary for better performance. Having tea or coffee breaks will improve your productivity, but you must manage your connectivity with your team during such breaks.

Choose right place and tools to work

Here I am going to share an essential aspect of working from home. Working from home doesn’t mean that you are not as planned and scheduled as others sitting in the office. It would help if you had proper space and working area that supports your effective working. This purpose needs a particular room or space. All this will help you get into the right frame of a working mind.

The working environment certainly affects your performance, so you must choose the right place to work from home. I agree everybody is not having a home office. We need to set up some right place to sit and work. The room should be with minimum distractions and with unnecessary noises. An easy sitting place will be helpful.

Other tools like computers, cameras, and headphones are also important. Headphones can add more quality to all conversations and staff meetings. The selection of communication software should be easy to use for everybody. In short, we can say that working need support of working tools and we should select best one.

While concluding my article, I would like to add that working from home is the future of working. Even after the fading of the COVID crises, people will not stop working from home. Rather, few will adopt it as a new way to work. I feel I will not stop going office, but I will still fix some days in a week to work from home. It is easier, more productive, and relaxing as well. If you give the same privilege to your staff, they will feel more attached to your company, and there will be very few chances of their leaving your team.