How to best work from home – and enjoy it is top of mind for most of us. Why? Well, allow us to take a wild guess and ask you the following question: Are you at home, sitting at your desk, and staring out the window? Are you maybe thinking about those long days back at the office when you used to say to your colleagues, “I wish we could work from home.” The old adage ‘be careful what you wish for’ has come true in spades.
Sadly, the Hakuna Matata of working from home has quickly turned into pandemic and zoom fatigue. The ‘I’ll have more time’ mindset has morphed into ‘another 5 minutes’ at the computer. We’ve long-since realized we ain’t gonna return to the Old Normal, because – since the start of 2020 – the New Normal has become the Old Normal.
And here we are.
And we can hear you sigh.
At the end of it all, the guilt to ‘just be grateful you have a job in these tough times’ is getting harder to shake off.
So, is it really possible to work from home – and enjoy it? Voice123 is a fully remote team (and pretty successful at it because we’ve actually been doin’ it since – like – forever.) So if you’re not quite as used to working from home as we are, here are our tips and advice to restore normal into your Normal.
First, let’s revisit what made us like the idea of working from home in the first place.
The good, the bad, and the ugly of working from home
The good has to be no commuting, traffic, noisy colleagues, and no need to wash your hair for as long as you can handle the itch.
The bad is learning how to work with constant distractions and the struggle to self-motivate.
The ugly … well, when you’re working from home that’s just it. It’s home and only home. Staying inside the same four walls can take a toll on your emotional health.
But with a few apps and a dash of self-care, working from home can definitely be more enjoyable.
6 Tips To Improve Your Work From Home Experience
1. Stick to a schedule. When you’re comfortably stretched out at your desk and just need to send a couple more emails, 5 minutes inevitably turns into another late night. Try using an app like Todoist to organize your time so you remember to work and still feed the kids, the cat, and yourself.
2. Follow a healthy routine. The temptation to snack on anything that fits next to your laptop is hard to overcome. But apps like Aloebud can help you to set reminders to hydrate and step away from the screen. And if you want to burn some calories, try these Seven-minute workouts!
3. Take a walk. This can help to clear your mind and boost creativity. Maybe send some emails while grabbing a latte from a nearby cafe. Or get creative and set up a little ‘zen zone’ in your living room.
4. Don’t bring your work home. Sounds like a paradox, right? But if possible, try to work anywhere but your bedroom or main relaxing space. You want to be able to disassociate the two so you can unwind and get a good night’s rest.
5. Avoid clutter. We’re all guilty of the ‘I’ll put it away later’ mindset, but when you’re always home, ‘later’ never comes. Try to set a ‘tidy-up’ time so that you can stretch your legs without stubbing your toe on something.
6. Think timezone. Got a colleague in Italy who needs something by their 9 am? Use an app like Timebuddy to sync across timezones. And learn how to schedule messages on sites like Slack so that you can get things done in your sleep.
How to work from home with children
In the past year, did the thought ‘At least I’ll have more time with the kids’ slowly turn into ‘I never have time for myself?’
That’s pretty much a given for working parents around the world. The idea of being home, spending time with your family, and getting everything finally done is exactly that; just an idea. Real-life works very differently.
Instead of looking for the perfect schedule, try to set ‘working times’ so when you’re sending emails, the kids will also be occupied. If you have regular Zoom meetings, set up a corner where no one can creep up behind you and be ready to turn off the camera! Unless it’s ‘bring your kids to work’ day.
You can also make sure they’re fed and had a bathroom break before you sit down for some serious work. And if you don’t have a partner to watch the kids, look for a friend or family member that you can create a ‘bubble’ with to get some adult interaction or a free sitter.
Closing Thoughts
Working from home has changed the office scene as we know it. Since there’s no one size fits all in this case, hybrid schedules may slowly start to be integrated into the working environment. For example, a 3-2-2 workweek offers 3 days at the office, 2 days working from home and 2 days off.
All in all, it’s kinda been like running a marathon. In the beginning, it seemed like a good idea; almost fun. Then came the muscle cramps, fatigue, and never ending hills. But after crossing the finish line, it actually wasn’t that bad. Maybe you’ll do it again. Or maybe not.
Either way, working from home is definitely not a perfect situation, but something doesn’t have to be perfect to be enjoyable. Take the curveballs as they come, hold on tight to your sense of humor, and follow a schedule that works for you.
And if you’re looking for success stories to inspire you, Voice123 has thousands of voice actors working remotely, delivering voice over after voice over with style, craftsmanship, and ease.
So, whether you’re ready to hit your 9-5 again, continuing to work from home, or off to catch the hybrid train, we wish you every success and happiness!
