Working from home can be a great way to balance work and life, but it can also present certain challenges in these globally difficult times. It can be hard to settle into a routine free of distractions, stay motivated, or stay in touch with colleagues and up to date with what is happening back at the office. However, there are many things you can do to maintain productivity levels and stay in touch with colleagues.

Firstly, it is important to have a dedicated space set aside for work, whether you are an employee or a business owner. Once you sit down at this desk, you should be in the mind frame to do work. This space should be decorated to suit your needs, as you will spend a lot of time here — for example, investing in a comfortable and supportive chair can be really important for your health and wellbeing.

To minimise distractions, this should be in a quiet part of your house, away from other people and noise. On the other hand, this also means that when your workday is done, you can separate yourself by leaving the office space.

Of course having the family at home as may be the case now as lockdowns are occurring throughout Australia, and home schooling a reality that was never a consideration in the past, having your own work space and minimising distractions may be a challenge in itself.  Use these suggestions to do what you can to minimise the distractions to the best of your ability in your circumstance.

As often as possible maintain a routine and keep set hours. This means both starting and finishing at a similar time each day, where avoiding the temptation to schedule personal appointments in the middle of this period was once not recommended, this may be a great way to manage handling family needs. Tell your children and partner that you will be available at a dedicated time each day to answer their questions and check they are on track with their own tasks.

While it can be hard to get motivated when you are in your home environment, it can also be really hard to switch off at the end of the workday. By sticking to a routine as you would if you physically went to work, you can maintain a healthy work-life balance. Plus, keeping normal office hours can help you maintain contact with colleagues.

On this note, getting dressed into work attire every morning can also help you switch over to work mode. While it can be tempting to work in your pyjamas or comfortable gym clothes, looking professional can also help you feel professional. Plus, if you need to stream into any video meetings, you want to look presentable. Of course, you do not want to feel uncomfortable. Louise M shoes are designed to suit corporate women by combining both comfort and style. Our shoes go with almost any outfit, from office attire through to being paired with jeans and tee for a more casual look. They are handcrafted out of Italian leather to allow your feet to breathe and come in a range of different colours and heel heights — including flats.

Despite setting up your space and your routine to help you enter the right mind frame to get work done, working from home can at times be isolating if you are working from home alone. However, with the amount of available technology, it does not have to be hard to keep up with others remotely. You can set up instant message chats where you can discuss things as you need to throughout the day. You can also schedule in video meetings for more formal get-togethers. All of your work documents can also be stored in a cloud, making them accessible from anywhere for both yourself and the colleagues you share them with. This way you can work collaboratively on projects, even if you are remote.

If you find yourself getting distracted throughout the day, you may need to find a way to hold yourself accountable. You can get browser apps that block access to certain websites, such as social media, if you find yourself drawn to them throughout the day. It can also help to write a to-do list of everything you hope to achieve by the end of the day, and then to make notes as to how much time you spent on each task. By reviewing your own process, you can start to see where you stay on track and where you become distracted.

The ability to work from home is not an option but a necessity while the global pandemic is controlling our life, so whether you normally work from home or have had to transition from a commercial office into a home office these productivity tips will help you settle in. 

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