Working from home is the new norm

I went from being nonproductive to productive mode working from home. I have been working from since March, even before the circuit breaker started. And I am still working from home today, and it is expected that the earliest we can return back to office would be on Sep. Even then, we will most likely be doing alternate weeks work from home

The first 2 weeks of working from home was a struggle. The only desk and chair at home weren’t of proper height for me. I suffer from backache, shoulder pain which leads to constant headaches. So you can imagine, I wasn’t getting much done even though I tried to.

One of the first thing I realized I had to fix before I can even be productive was my Work From Home setup. I got a laptop stand, so that my laptop screen could be of the same height as my eye level. Bought a wireless keyboard and mouse, so I don’t have to struggle with the height of the keyboard on my laptop. And I was lucky to get a 2nd hand monitor screen for $20. So now I have 2 screens that I can use for work.

How to be Productive when Working From Home?

Below are the tips that I follow when I work from home to help me be productive:

• Create a morning routine.
  For me I wake up at 7:30am, prep my little one for childcare. Then I start my 30 mins workout. On the contrary that exercising makes you tired, I actually feel energized after that. And this relieves the backache and shoulder pain that I used to have. Then I take a shower, and brew some coffee. Work on my blog for 45mins and that takes me to right to about 10am which is when I start work.
• Have a dedicated work space.
  It’s like sub consciously, when I’m sitting at my desk, I just know it’s work time.
• Start off with tasks that requires a lot of concentration in the morning.
  That’s when I have the least interruption, from meetings, cause once I hit the EU hours, the meetings and messages will start coming in.
• Take regular short break.
  This is important for me because I don’t have a ergonomic desk and chair design. So if I sit down for too long, I get stiff shoulders and this leads to headache later on.
• Always end work at the same time.
  Because you are working from home, it is so easy to overlap your work and rest time. I always make sure I end my work by 7pm, so that I get time to have dinner together with my family.

Pros of working from home

• I get an extra 3 hours of time at home everyday. This humble commute time translates to 15 hours a week!
  • I now get time to do a proper 30 mins workout at home every morning
  • I get to work on my blogs before I start work
  • I get to have dinner with my daughter cause I’m right at home after I finish work
• I save approx $150 on travel expenses each month
• I eat healthier, since I now cook most of my lunch at home

Cons of working from home

• I miss the interaction with my colleagues, playing Exploding Kittens during lunch breaks
• I don’t have a proper table and chair like the ones I get at work.

Working from home after Covid-19

I think going forward, I will most likely negotiate a WFH twice a week schedule. After all, I think ever since we’ve had this circuit breaker, we have sort of proven that we can work from home and still get things done. So there is no more excuses for employers to claim that people are not productive when working from home.