Establish Clear Boundaries between Work and Personal Life

1. Schedule a regular start and finish time. If you have children at home, you may need to extend the day so you can take regular breaks to be with them. Whatever your preference, try to establish a regular pattern it helps you to be more productive and helps others in the house understand when you will be available.

2. Create a morning routine that ends when you start work – our commute to work prepares our brain and delineates the start of work so we need to create a morning routine to replace the commute. It could be anything – be creative and find what works for you. Some examples could be:

– Returning after a jog or a walk
– Making a cup of coffee
– Short meditation or mindfulness session
– Dressing for work
– Visualisation

3. End your day with a routine – just as you start the day with a routine it helps to create a habit that signals the end of the workday, such as:

– A wind down activity.
– Getting changed.
– Turning off all Business Apps.
– Cooking.
– Playing a game with the children.
– Whatever you choose, do it consistently.

4. Establish some ground rules – if there are other people in the home and especially if they need to work too, it is essential that you discuss what you each need to create focus and productivity and then set some ground rules for working. If there are children at home, you may need to work for shorter periods, and they will need to be clear about what they can and can’t do while you are working.

5. Choose a place to be your work spot – when you are working, work from this spot and when you are not working avoid it.

Communication

6. Establish Communication Protocols – Since you’re no longer a few desks down from your co-workers or your manager, you need to schedule regular 1:1 check-in meeting with them to connect on your goals, upcoming projects and daily tasks. On any project, we need to frequently reflect on who will this impact and who else needs to be involved.

7. Meetings – Rules for virtual meetings are essentially the same as for face to face meetings. The impact on the meeting when we ignore them, though, is far greater for virtual meetings. Remember, each meeting needs a very clear purpose and each agenda item a clear objective.

8. Tell your team when they can reach you – as you may all be working at different times communicate clearly when you are available.

9. Socialise – As you won’t be bumping into your colleagues in the corridors, elevator or car park you won’t have the same opportunity for the chitchat and human connection that is so important. Make time every day to text with colleagues, check in personally, share stories and ask how people are doing.

Self Care

10. Schedule Breaks – if you are working from home give yourself time to walk away from your computer screen and phone. Taking regular short breaks will help you to maintain focus and concentration on your work throughout the day.

11. Determine Your Work style – decide on your preferred way of working and then plan to maximise your output. Are you more alert in the morning or evening? Do you need lots of short breaks? Do you like to work in silence, or do you need white noise to prevent you being distracted?

12. Don’t be too hard on yourself – but if your attention does drift from time to time, notice what distracts you and then devise ways to prevent the distraction.