At AreaMedia, we all follow the RIVM guidelines regarding the COVID-19 virus. That is why we work from home and do not visit our offices. It’s a weird situation, so it took us some time to get adjusted on how to work from now on. Normally, we would have a break at work and then enjoy a cup of coffee together, but as everyone is at home, this isn’t possible anymore. We therefore now have a daily video-call in order to discuss business, and meanwhile have our cup of coffee and talk about what everyone is working on. Working from home has its pros and cons. We would like to advise you on what you should and shouldn’t do, in order to make this working situation as ideal as possible.
Tips for a productive day
First, it is important to have a good workplace. A tidy place will not distract much and can, therefore, be a place where you can work fully focused and at ease. A perfect example is a study room. If you do not have this, create your own temporary home-office, for example at the dining table. Dominique’s tip is to make your workplace as comfortable as possible, so you can focus on your work. Pick a good chair or put your screen a bit higher (for example with a drawer, like Mariska did) for the right body position.
Structure is an important factor when it comes to working from home. Paul’s tip is to stick to your normal work hours and rituals. Get up, have breakfast, get dressed, do anything you would normally do, even if you are working from home. Without this structure, you will not be able to make it through the day. In order to create a clear overview of your work, Annabelle tips to make lists! Making to-do lists will give a clear overview of what still needs to be done. Cross off anything that is done and add new tasks. Plan things ahead, for example (video)calls; even if you don’t have any business-related stuff to talk about, it’s good to keep in touch with your network.
It is not realistic to think that you will be focused and concentrated all day long. Taking breaks is important. Meyke’s tip is to go out for a walk, get away from your workspace and clear your mind. When you come back, you will be more focused and concentrated. Try to keep the structure of a normal office working day, don’t take breaks that are too long. Make sure you drink enough and eat healthy throughout the entire day, go for healthy, fresh and varied products.
Tips for after work
Is your working day finished? Mariska’s tip is to clear up all your work-gear, especially if your workplace is somewhere you cannot get away from, for example when your home office is at your dining table or in your student room. Make sure the workplace is left clean and tidy for the next day or put everything away so you can enjoy your free time.
It is also important to maintain your social contacts outside of work and to get out of your seat! Plan video-drinks with friends or call with your grandparents. Petra’s tip is to keep up with sports for example through live streams or together with your sportbuddy. Call your friends and do the same work-out. We should help each other out in these crazy times, and this way you can keep in touch without leaving your house.
What NOT to do
There are some things we advise you to avoid when working at home, for example snacking. It is a great temptation when you are at home all day. Maybe you even got some extra delicious snacks to make being at home more cozy. It is important that you stick to your usual eating pattern, and not snack too much. Otherwise, your colleagues might not recognize you when you get back at the office. Our healthy snack tip:
Pets are really nice to have aside you, but when working at home they can be a bit annoying sometimes. A dog who wants constant attention or a cat dancing around on your keyboard. Try to keep your working space and pets separate, or create a place (for example a little basket) for your pet to stay during the work day.
Of course, it is also very important not to ignore all the tips above!
What we miss
We are starting to get used to working from home and each video call gets better and better! There are some things we still miss though, for example, interesting conversations, talking with clients and working together at the office. But also going out for a meeting, keeping in contact with clients and expanding our network. And of course the good coffee and our lunches together.
It took us some time to get used to a difficult and challenging situation, but we found a good way to work together. Thanks to the current technology nowadays we can work from home, have meetings with people from all over the world and continue our assignments. It might be lonely sometimes, but together we should try to make the best out of it, even if it is in a virtual way, with virtual (coffee) meetings and video-drinks!
Written by Meyke Siebelt
2nd of April 2020
