Working from Home - Five more Lessons I've Learned

So, it’s working from home again. Is anyone else getting a distinct sense of déjà moo here? Seriously, we’re now well into the second year of the pandemic here in Ireland and while society may not be as locked down as it once was, a return to the office is likely still months away at the very least. Also, since publishing my first post on this topic back in February 2021, I have a few months of working from home experience under my belt. So, why not turn those lessons into a blog post to feed the content machine? Here are five more lessons I learned while working from home.

Write a To-Do List for the Day

Using a Task Manager such as Todoist to write out a daily to do list can really make your day easier for you.

This goes back to the issue of structuring your day I mentioned back in February of this year. Having a clear outline of the tasks you need to get done that day really helps you feel on top of things. And of course, there’s more than just a little satisfaction in scratching a completed task of your list, even more so if said task is the last task for the day. Now whether you use a simple notebook, some hybrid solution like Rocketbook, or even a digital task manager such as Todoist is of course totally up to you, though I personally use the latter option. I have however integrated this into my daily routine to such a degree that I even include mental health exercises in this to do list.

Write a list of completed tasks

When you're juggling several tasks at once every day, it might be worth writing down the tasks you've completed, just to visualise what you've accomplished.

No, I’m not writing this while being held at gunpoint by some overzealous HR manager. When you’re working from home, it can sometimes be hard to keep an overview of what you accomplished throughout the day, especially when you’re dealing with a lot of requests from colleagues, rather than being able to work through your to-do list. If, like me, you’re prone to bouts of imposter syndrome, these days can often seem like you haven’t managed to do anything. That’s why I recently started writing up my daily accomplished tasks in a OneNote file, just to visualise for myself that I have actually achieved something. Once again, whether you use an app or prefer the old-fashioned method is completely up to you, though.

Watch your Mental Health

Sometimes, all it takes to focus your mind again is just a walk in nature.

Okay, so this is admittedly a very generic point. It is still very important. When you’re working from home, particularly if you live alone, there’s always a tendency to focus on your work and block out everything else. You tend to concentrate on your work so much that you ignore breaks and before you know it, you’re being sucked down into a black hole. I know what I’m talking about, I’ve been down that route before. That is why a daily structure is so important. Personally, I make sure to take at least ten minute out of my day every work day for a guided meditation, for which I use an app called Calm. In addition, and this is something I highly recommend, I make sure to cook for myself every single day at lunch time. It’s an easy way to get away from your desk and concentrate on something completely different for half an hour or so. Lastly, I recommend keeping a journal. I’ve been doing that for well over two years now, Since shortly after my parents passed away. It gives you a place to express your feelings and thoughts in a way you may not always be able to, even if you have someone to talk to. Having that kind of safety valve to vent your pent up feelings and ruminations can be a major lifesaver. Trust me, I speak from experience on that one.

Get a good set of Headphones

These Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H8 have been my trusty companions for longer than any other set of headphones. And they're a life saver!

Moving on from intangibles to a very physical aspect of working from home. I’m very much a musical person and chances are that when I work, I’ll have some music playing just to keep me entertained. Others might prefer podcasts or audiobooks, though the latter two never really did anything for me if I’m honest. However, whether it’s because you’re living with your family or simply because you have your home office window open wide because it’s thirty degrees plus in Ireland, you can’t always crank your speakers up to 11 while doing so. With that in mind, it might be worth investing some money in a decent pair of headphones. While going full Bang & Olufsen or even Apple might be a bit over the top for many, going for a bit of a higher-priced and more comfortable option is definitely the way to go. Personally, I’d also give in-ear earphones a look-in, but not everyone is going to be able to wear those, so pick something that feels comfortable for you. 

Drink Water!

I may be using an Apple bottle, but it's definitely not a "smart" bottle ;) Seriously though, make sure to always have a full water bottle at your desk and to drink regularly!

Finally, we have one item that I personally struggle with every single goddamn day, namely drinking enough water! Once again, it’s easy to get sucked into a rabbit hole at work when you have two deadlines coming up, co-workers are bombarding you with requests and one of your colleagues seems pathologically incapable of grasping the basic concept of the word “No”. Still, not drinking enough can, and does have significant negative effects, so be sure to always have a bottle of water at your desk while working. And yes, it should be water, not some fizzy drink, soda or sugary fruit juice, as much as I hate to say it. If you tend to be forgetful about that, there are apps to track your water intake, but even a reminder in whatever task management system you use will do the trick just as well. And yes, there are even “smart” water bottles out there that handle the tracking and reminding for you. Honestly, I’m seriously contemplating getting one of those simply because of the sheer WTF factor! Whatever way you go about it, drinking enough water is absolutely vital!

And that’s it, five more lessons that I’ve learned in this ongoing and seemingly never-ending work from home period. To be perfectly clear about one thing though, I regularly struggle when it comes to sticking to these points. So if you feel like you have trouble sticking to some, or even just a single one of these take-aways, believe me, it's okay. You're not alone. Given that any return to the office seems to be slipping back further and further into the future, I have a feeling like there might be a third instalment in this series at some point down the line. For now though, do you have any lessons or take-aways with regards to working from home? Be sure to leave them in the comments below.