In many ways, having the ability to work from home (WFH) during the pandemic is a good thing. The WFH setup allows you to continue earning an income from the safety of your home—particularly in this period where people are left jobless and afraid to leave their homes due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
That being said, there are definitely challenges when it comes to pushing through with a WFH job. For example, some people coming from regular office jobs are now realizing that they may actually miss having face-to-face social interactions with their workmates. Meanwhile, others may find it hard to find a work-life balance, as the boundaries between work and personal life activities are blurred.
Of course, there is also the anxiety brought about by living through a pandemic. To help you navigate these uncertain times, here are three strategies that may help you survive working from home.
1. Have realistic expectations
Working from home for the first time will definitely feel like a fresh start. For the first time since you started working, there is no longer any need to factor adding extra time for travel and traffic. You might think that with all this extra time in your hands, you should be finishing more work.
However, for a lot of people, it’s not as simple as that. You may have children or other adults at home that could be major sources of distraction for you. As the boundaries between work and personal life blur, you may find it difficult to start or stop working at regular time intervals. You might even be tempted to do more overtime work as you compensate for the feeling of not achieving enough.
These stressful emotions are normal in these uncertain times. Once in a while, you should take a deep breath and realize that you should cut yourself some slack. It’s a difficult period we’re living in, after all—and you should forgive yourself for experiencing difficulties in adjusting to the situation.
2. Keep a routine
With less pressure to keep rigid schedules, it will be easy to let go of admittedly useful, but rigid, habits that used to give your life order. This can be disorienting for most people, even if it feels comfortable to just wake up and slide into your desk and start working.
With your morning routines gone, you may find it harder to differentiate your resting period from your work hours. This can result in being unproductive, followed by copious hours of overtime to make up for the lost time.
To prevent this, it’s a good idea to continue with your daily routine as much as possible. Wake up early, take a bath, and perform your morning activities just as you would if you had to commute to your office.
Start working and clock out just as you would if you had to get home before traffic came. This way, you can keep a semblance of normalcy and avoid feeling disoriented because of the situation.
3. Look for a conducive working space
One of the touted advantages of WFH jobs is being able to work comfortably in your own home. However, most people don’t realize that the things you found distracting at your old workplace could even be worse in your actual home.
The presence of children, pets, and other adults in your home could prove to be major sources of distractions. As much as you can, you must find a conducive place in your home away from these distractions. It’s also a good idea to talk to the people you live with to establish proper boundaries.
Conclusion
Domestic duties, unexpected visits from friends in the middle of the day, and kids playing around—how do you get anything done in such a situation? With all these factors and more, working from home can be more of a challenge than you think!
That being said, there are always ways to cope up with the challenges of a WFH job. By keeping these three tips in mind, you should be able to overcome these challenges and continue being productive at home.
Are you looking to apply for work at home jobs but don’t know where to start? WFH Pad connects people from all over the world with opportunities to do remote work. Our platform allows employers to post gigs and job hunters to find remote jobs online that suit their skills. Contact us today to learn more!
