For some, working in a home office has fulfilled a long-held desire; for others, the home office is nothing but an endless marathon because the family situation and the space make working at home very difficult.
As a boss or manager, your emotional leadership is especially needed. Not only your intervention in case of internal team problems or difficulties with certain tasks, but also your involvement as a coach in the corona crisis.
You can share the following home office tips with your employees, they work very well for us.
Here are my 7 tips to help you optimize your home office self-management
1. Create order for the eye
If you have a small apartment and no separate room that you can use for your home office, you will be distracted by all sorts of things. Things are often lying around messily, crying out to be put away.
The solution: spend ten minutes of concentrated energy to put things in order.
If that’s not possible, it’s a good idea to put your laptop in a place that leads your eyes – when you let your eyes wander beyond the screen – to a tidy section of the room, such as your tidy bookcase or the window that offers a view of a calming environment.
You blank out the rest of the clutter in the room. This allows you to think in a better, more structured way.
2. Use noise-canceling headphones
It’s not only the eye that needs quiet to increase concentration, but also the ear. Invest in noise-canceling headphones, which you put on when you have to work to to work,, to to be to the for a to be to the headphones, when you’re to to be to the headphones, when you’re working to the headphones.
Such headphones are also great for virtual conferences.
Of course, if the noise is caused by your children, who are small and can’t go to kindergarten or school, even this trick doesn’t always work.
3. Put away your laptop in the evening
If you work in your living room or bedroom, you should put your laptop away when you’re done so that it’s out of sight when you get home. After all, if it’s always in your sight, you’ll be constantly reminding yourself, even in your free time, of everything that still needs to be done and what unpleasant problem you need to solve the next day. This prevents you from really relaxing.
On this topic I also recommend this article: How to always end your workday satisfied
4. Work ergonomically
If you don’t want to have an ergonomic desk chair in your living room because you want to go back to the office as soon as you can anyway, there are a number of things you can do to prevent back pain.
First and foremost are back exercises and gymnastic exercises, which anyone can do by watching YouTube videos.
In between, it is also quite good for the back to work standing up or to participate in a virtual conference standing up: Simply place a suitably high chair or stool on the table, place the laptop on it and stand for a while. It’s good for you, believe me.
5. Support each other and show consideration
If the entire family works virtually at home and the children also have to be looked after or schooled, the home office situation is naturally particularly stressful and perhaps even nerve-wracking.
Try to make arrangements with your partner for the next day. Who needs one or more hours to concentrate on work and when? During this time, the other person takes over the care of the children.
Partners without children should also offer each other a home office day with as little disruption as possible. Instead of always asking more or less important and disruptive questions in between, a WhatsApp message or an e-mail will also suffice: “When are you taking a break, I have something to discuss with you?”
6. Create mental separation buffers
Try to shed the “mental work suit” in the evening. Allow yourself at least ten minutes all to yourself after work: a long shower, meditation, listening to music, walking around the block once, or whatever feels good to you. Then you’ll have a clear head to dive into family life.
7. See the positive side of the home office
Even though it’s harder for some to work from a home office than others: There are definitely a few positive things that speak for the home office: The commute is eliminated, styling doesn’t have to be perfect, you can go for a quick jog or other sport during your lunch break, your boss isn’t constantly looking over your shoulder, a number of previously redundant meetings take care of themselves and provide more time for efficient work …
Of course, these tips are not only for your employees. Everyone who worked in a home office should be a little bit better with them. I notice the difference every day ;- )