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Stay productive while working at home
While many people are romanticizing remote working as the “zeitgeist of the future”, our experience of working from home.
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W
hile many people are romanticizing remote working as the “zeitgeist of the future”, our experience of working from home, especially in circumstances that require us to do so, tells us that remote working is not without its obstacles and frictions.
First of all, when you work from home, the public and private spheres, which previously were delineated clearly by traveling from home to your office or going to meet with a client, have been blurred into just one space.
Consequently, you have to handle your work assignments while taking care of domestic chores, and the issue gets trickier for those who are married and have young children. While working from home, you also have to do your shopping online and receive everything via delivery. Many of understand by now how it feels to have our work interrupted now and then because we need to take care of such logistical matters.
Finally, needless to say, in a difficult time like this it is easy to get discouraged and become pessimistic about the future, which can impact our work ethic as well.
Together, we can think of ways we can adapt to this difficult time and stay productive with minimum stress while working from home.
Of course, talking about working from home, preparing the right mood, setting and equipment to do it is essential. Here are some tips for working from home that you may find helpful:
- Setting your workspace: Designate a specific area at home – preferably a space where you get enough sunlight exposure during the day and where you can enjoy ample space as well as easy access to electric plugs and sockets – to be your workspace and prepare it to resemble your usual office workspace as closely as possible.
- Set your schedule: Employees who are transitioning to working from home for the first time may experience reduced productivity as they adjust to the changes and distractions when working from home. Thus, it is important to set aside specific working hours during the day when you dedicate all your focus and attention to your work assignments in order to get more things done.
- Take short breaks in-between assignments: While getting your tasks done, do not forget to take frequent short breaks to replenish your brain power. Do not forget to have lunch, drink enough mineral water to hydrate and stretch in-between tasks. Also, reenergize yourself by chatting with friends and colleagues over the phone to discuss lighter things that may not necessarily be to do with work.
- Communicate intensely with your team members: Set clear expectations and even rules to motivate your team members to complete their assignments. Make the best out of Microsoft Teams or any collaboration software you use. Make sure you update your status on WhatsApp messenger or whichever chat platforms you use to let your colleagues know you are taking a short break to cool your mind down. Then, also adjust your device’s sound and camera setting so that they are ready to use to support your work.
- Stay positive and be social: Having a positive and realistically optimistic mindset, while rediscovering a new meaning from your work to help others amid this challenging time, can help you maintain productivity during this difficult period. Also, practice self-care by getting enough sleep, exercise and eat well to ensure you maintain your health. Do not forget to stay connected with your friends and inner circle members to support each other and maintain a work-life balance.
Now, in order to stay productive, it is also essential that you maintain the cleanliness and hygiene of your devices. There are some basic guidelines you can follow to keep your devices clean:
- We recommend using CDC-recommended disinfectant, which is an alcohol solution consisting of 70 percent isopropyl alcohol and 30 percent water.
- Use a microfiber cloth with this solution and wear disposable gloves made of latex when cleaning and disinfecting surfaces.
- Turn off your device and disconnect AC power (for printers, devices should be unplugged from the outlet), and any external devices. Never clean a product while it is powered on or plugged in.
- Do not spray any liquids directly onto the product.
- Gently wipe the moistened cloth on the surfaces to be cleaned. Do not allow any moisture to drip into areas like keyboards, display panels or USB ports located on the printer control panels, as moisture entering the inside of an electronic product can cause extensive damage to the product.
- When cleaning a display screen or printer control panel, carefully wipe in one direction, moving from the top of the display to the bottom.
- Ensure surfaces have been completely air-dried before turning the device on after cleaning. No moisture should be visible on the surfaces of the product before it is powered on.
- Gloves should be discarded after each cleaning. Clean hands immediately after gloves are removed.
Should you have any technical queries, HP Support is ready to help you on WhatsApp from Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit hp.care/digital-ID for repair status, service center locator, warrantly check, booking services and support videos. For more information on how you can work remotely, visit HP for Business or check out HP Inc’s social media accounts on Instagram (@HPIndonesia) and Facebook (facebook.com/hpindonesia).
